Will You Be My Canary?
by Sakomi Rose
Summary: Dagger's dream is to become a great, well-known actress. She's been dreaming about it for her whole life. But what is more important? Her dream? Or the love for a certain teenage boy? AU.
1. Prologue

Will You Be My Canary?   
By Aquarius Mistress 

A/N: Blerg. What can I say? Dagger and Zidane still look cute together, although I wish he was mine ;_;. This is an A/U fic. I actually learned what an A/U fic was, thanks to Duckie. ^.~ In this fic, Dagger and Zidane are both 18. And no monkey tail! 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot of this story. All the characters that you recognize belongs to Squaresoft. The rest belongs to meeeeee! 

Prologue 

"Dagger, wake up!" the purple haired 15-year-old ordered, smacking a pillow on her older sister's face. 

"What is it, Eiko? It's only 7 in the morning..." the brunette mumbled, turning her head away from Eiko's attack. 

"It's September the 1st. Don't you have a plane to catch?" Eiko Natori asked, hands on her hips. 

Dagger sighed. 'Today's the big day...' she thought. She got up from her soft, queen-sized bed, heading towards the bathroom in her bright orange tank-top and pajama bottoms with Tweety patterned on it. "Tell mom I'll be ready in about half an hour." 

Eiko nodded and walked off towards her mother's bedroom in the same Tweety pajamas, except in purple. "Mom, I'll go change and get ready. Dag's gonna be out in half an hour." Eiko notified, smiling at her mother and father. 

"Alright hun, just make sure you don't take too long, we want to have breakfast before we head to the airport." Jane answered, smiling back. 

"Well, I better get ready hun," Travis, Dagger's and Eiko's father, answered, "I don't want to miss out." 

The brunette man got up from the bed, and travelled to the washroom attached to their bedroom. 

Jane sighed. "That man always takes so long in the bathroom." she giggled, shaking her head slightly. 

Eiko giggled and went over to the bed, leaning over and giving her mom a smooch on the cheek. 

"I'll go make breakfast first since Dag's in the washroom." 

"Thanks hun." Jane thanked while Eiko walked out of the room. 

After around half an hour, Dagger stepped out of the washroom, dressed up in a black tank top with a powder pink, see-through, long sleeved, shirt on top. She also wore her indigo jeans, that flared out at the ends. She left her hair down and wore matching pink, butterfly earrings. She walked over to her bedroom, gathering her suitcase and bags while Eiko skipped into the washroom. Travis also knew how important this day was and for once in his life, took less than forty-five minutes in the bathroom. 

He stepped out of the steamy bathroom, wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt with an olive green button-up on top, leaving it open. His hair was spiked up with gel. Even as an adult, he couldn't lose that gel habit ever since Junior High. Jane put down her book and walked towards the bathroom. On her way, Travis placed a peck on her cheek. Jane frowned. 

"You didn't shave?" 

"Well I didn't want to be late." he joked, stepping back inside the bathroom to shave. 

Jane once again had to wait outside. She sighed tiredly and returned to her romance novel. In about fifteen minutes, Eiko also stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a red, sleeveless, shirt with the same indigo jeans as Dagger. She had her long hair tied up in a regular ponytail. For some reason, she really favoured her naturally purple hair. She was born with this hair for some strange reason. For what reason, she didn't care. She adored the purple color and it made her feel more different than everybody else. She stood in the doorway, leaning on the door frame. 

"Breakfast's ready Dag." she said. 

Dagger nodded, packing the rest of her belongings in her black purse. She got up, hanging the purse on her side. "I'm so nervous..." 

Eiko patted her on the back supportively, "Don't worry, you'll do fine." Dagger smiled faintly and walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. 

"What's for breakfast?" 

"Uhh...scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast and I blended some of my infamous fresh orange and mango juice." Eiko said proudly. 

Everybody in the family knew that she was a total wiz in the kitchen. She often enjoyed cooking for the family whenever she could and she has been planning to open up her own restaurant someday. Dagger smiled and took a sip of her juice. Travis soon joined them, sitting across from Dagger, chewing his pancakes. Eiko sat on the left of Dagger, also beginning her meal. 

Meanwhile, Jane just stepped out of the bathroom in a regular white t-shirt and a long, denim skirt with a pink and green flower patch near her left foot. She quickly brushed her brown hair and tied it with a white scarf. The table greeted her as she sat down, joining her family. Dagger didn't have much of an appetite though. All she's really eaten was her bacon and eggs and drank all her juice. 

"Dagger, dear. Aren't you hungry? You'll need the energy for today." Jane told her daughter, taking a bite out of her toast. 

"No, mom. I don't feel very hungry... Can I be excuse?" Dagger asked, head down. 

Jane swallowed her food and sighed. "Alright." 

Dagger thanked her and got up from the table, running into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She quickly got out her silver-plated cell phone from her black purse and dialed the number to her friend's cell phone. 

*click* 

"Mmmm...hello?" a girl's voice asked. She sounds like she's just woken up. 

"Hey Harumi. Did I wake you?" 

"Daaaag? Izzat you? Yeah...I just woke up...*yawn*" 

"Sorry, maybe I'll call you later." 

"No, no. No trouble at all. After all, today's the big day, right? Well...good luck, Dag. I know you'll do great and you'll be a great actress. After all, you're obsessed with it anyway." 

Dagger secretly smiled at the other line. 

"...Thanks Harumi. I'm gonna miss you guys..." 

"And we're gonna miss you too. Hey! I also heard that Karen's gonna go there too. Maybe you'll run into each other. Heard that she made it through the cut." 

Dagger's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh...at least I know one person who's going." 

"Yeah. Listen. I'll go change and get ready. I'll meetcha at the airport around 9, okay?" 

"Alright. Thanks Harumi." 

"No probs. Bye!"

"Bye." 

*click* 

"Dagger, are you gonna finish breakfast? You're leaving today. It's your last homemade meal for a while." Eiko said, standing by the doorway. 

"I'm coming. Just needed to call Harumi." Dagger said solemnly, stuffing her cell in her purse and swiftly sitting back down at the breakfast table. 

The Natori family all sat at the table, finishing up their meal silently. Once they were finished, Jane and Eiko cleaned up the table and washed the dishes while Travis helped pack Dagger's suitcase in the trunk of their family car, a yellow Suzuki Aerio. 

Dagger ran back inside the house, gathering her bags and placing them in the trunk also. She climbed into the backseat, sitting behind the driver's seat and strapped on her seat belt. Travis turned the key and the engine softly roared to life. Eiko and Jane soon came out, locking the door behind them. Eiko sat beside Dagger while Jane sat at the remaining front seat. The rest of the family strapped on their seat belts and setting the handle to 'D', the Natoris made their way to Pearson's airport. The drive was long and sad. Dagger was gonna leave the family today and she wouldn't be back in about four years. Of course, she always had dreamed of being an actress, being famous and be able to see her face on posters, but she now wonders if it's worth leaving her family for... 

After a long half-an-hour drive, the family made it to the airport. Travis helped carry the suitcase while Dagger carried her bags. The family made their way inside the large building, and Dagger squealed when she saw Harumi there. She dropped her bags and ran up to hug her friend. 

"Oh my god, Harumi. I don't think I can go through with this..." Dagger sniffled. Harumi patted her friend on the back. 

"Don't worry, Dagger. You'll do great! You're an awesome actress, y'know. You'll do fine! Not a lot of people are as good as you are and you got into the school you wanted!" 

Dagger sniffed, wiping her tears away with her right hand. She nodded and Harumi smiled at her. 

"You'll do great." 

//Attention. All passengers boarding flight number 828 to Quebec City is to board the plane. I repeat. All passengers boarding flight number 828 to Quebec City is to board the plane.// 

Dagger almost bursted into tears again. The Natoris hugged Dagger, one by one. 

"You go out there and make your dreams come true, darling." Travis said with a proud smile. 

Dagger smiled and nodded, holding back her tears. She picked up her suitcase and bags, shouted out a 'bye!' to her family and her best friend. She soon reached the escalator that was heading up. But before she stepped on, Harumi shouted out her name. Dagger turned around. 

"Don't forget to e-mail me and tell me if you get yourself a boyfriend!" 

Dagger laughed and nodded. "Don't worry! I will! I'm gonna miss you guys. Bye!" 

The Natoris and Harumi all waved at her. Dagger smiled and got on the escalator, heading towards her plane. She took a deep breath, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of being in a different province than her family and friends. But, this was a once in a lifetime chance to get into this school and she wasn't going to do something stupid and let it go. 

~*~ 

"Where'd they say to go?" the red-headed boy asked. 

"Uhh...I think the lady said to go to Gate 5..." the blonde boy replied, doubtfully. 

"You think? Zidane, if we don't get on the right plane, we'll probably end up in some other country!" the boy with the orange bandanna pointed, frustrated at his friend. 

"Hey, calm down Marcus, geez. Look, there's Gate 5. Let's just go ask that guy over there." Zidane claimed, pointing to the entrance. 

The three teenage boys dragged along their belongings, over to the security guard. 

"Excuse me, but does this gate lead to the plane for Quebec City?" Zidane asked. 

The security guard nodded and pointed to the end of the line. The trio lugged the suitcases and bags with them, exchanging looks at each other. 

"What a line..." Marcus noticed, looking around. 

"Hope I can find a cute chick in here somewhere..." Zidane smirked, scanning the line. 

"And then what? You probably won't even see her anymore." the redhead, Blank, answered. 

Zidane shrugged, "You never know." 

Zidane walked on ahead with his luggage to join the line. "Somebody needs a reality check." Marcus stated, dragging behind. 

Blank chuckled and dragged his luggage towards the line as well. 

~*~ 

"Gate 5... Gate 5... Where the hell is it?" Dagger muttered to herself, looking around. 

She looked up at a sign that signalled Gates 1-10 to the left, and Gates 11-20 to the right. She smiled to herself and dragged her luggage to the left. After walking around randomly, she stumbled onto the main hallway, where there were 5 lines on each side of the hall. She looked around for the number five to stick out somewhere and luckily found it. She pulled her luggage with her and stood behind a redhead around her age. 

As the line shortened, the more uncomfortable Dagger felt. There was always this uneasy feeling that she's had since the time she found out she got into Lord Avon's School of Drama but she couldn't tell what it was. 

She blanked out for a sec, lost in thought and jumped when the lady near the entrance tapped her shoulder. 

"Excuse me, miss. Are you okay?" the lady asked, concerned. 

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Here's the ticket." Dagger said sheepishly, flashing her ticket. 

Without another word, Dagger quickly pulled her luggage over to the station where she dropped her belongings off. She stepped into the line where everybody were being scanned with the metal detector. Unfortunately, she forgot to take off her jewelery and the beeper clicked. The two security guards immediately took smaller ones and scanned her. 

"Uhh...ma'am. You forgot to remove your valuables." one of the security guards notified, pointing to her necklace, ring and bracelet. 

Dagger blushed and she could hear a couple of teenage boys snickering quietly. She quickly took them off and stepped through the metal detector again. She quickly snatched her jewelery and stepped into the plane. She found a free spot near the front and placed her black purse in the overhead compartment. She sat down before anybody got to it. Besides, she didn't want to sit near the back where the washroom was. 

~*~ 

"Ha ha! Did you see that chick blush?" Zidane yucked up. 

"Not that funny, Zidane. You wouldn't like it if the metal detector started flashing lights at you and beeping." Blank said, as if he wasn't amused by the incident. 

"C'mon Blank. Loosen up. 'Sides, that chick was cute. Wonder if I can get her number?" Zidane asked himself. 

"Pfft... after hearing us laughing? Sure she would!" 

Zidane glared humourously at Marcus. "And you _had_ to be so sarcastic?" 

"Whatever." 

"C'mon. That chick was cute and you two know it." Zidane teased, trying to draw some confessions out. 

"Ehh... she doesn't really seem my type." Blank pointed out. 

"Uhh... I really have no comment. She doesn't really seem like my kinda girl either." Marcus said, uninterested. 

"Pfft... you guys have no taste." Zidane remarked. 

"Hey, there's a few empty spots right there!" Blank pointed. 

"At least they're nowhere near the back. Let's---hey! Isn't that the chick?" Zidane asked, surprised. 

"Who cares. Who wants to sit at the back where you hear people taking dumps? Ask her if that seat's taken. Blank and I'll sit just behind you guys. There's some guy who just moved from that spot." Marcus said, quickly claiming the window seat. 

Blank shrugged and trudged along and sat down beside Marcus. The two peeked from above the seats, watching Zidane perform his act. Zidane walked up to Dagger, who didn't notice since she was staring out the window. He cleared his throat, trying to get her attention... but that only worked in the movies. Dagger didn't even flinch. He arched an eyebrow. 

"Excuse me." he said with a more 'gentleman-ish' voice. 

She didn't budge. 

Zidane assumed that she heard him. "I was wondering if..." 

She still didn't budge.

"Yo, little lady!" Dagger turned her gaze on Zidane. 

"What?" Being called on with such an informal statement lead her to believe that he was just another immature asshole. 

"This seat taken?" he asked, flashing a grin. 

"No." 

Zidane just helped himself, assuming that she allowed him. Dagger rolled her eyes and stared at him, quite cross with him. 

"Excuse me, but nobody said you could sit here." 

"I don't need permission," Zidane teased, "I know you want me to sit here." 

'What a jerk!' she thought. She quickly pushed Zidane off the seat, making him almost fall on the floor. Blank and Marcus snickered quietly behind her, laughing at Zidane's failed attempt. 

"Nobody _needs_ you to sit here. Go somewhere else, jerk!" she ordered, glaring at Zidane fiercely. 

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be such a jerk if you weren't deaf!" Zidane snapped. 

He quickly pulled Blank off his seat and sat down. 

"What the hell...? Hey, that's mine." Blank said with a serious tone. 

"Mine now." Zidane muttered. 

Blank shrugged. "Uhh...excuse me, but umm..." 

Dagger just merely shrugged and Blank sat down stiffly. He shifted around uncomfortably though, not wanting to sit beside a girl who's ready to kill him any minute. 

"You sure?" 

A shrug. 

He sighed and got out his discman, listening to some music. The flight seemed long and nauseous. Passengers were becoming restless, and Dagger was getting tired of hearing Blank snore whenever he decided to take a nap. Zidane and Marcus keeps laughing at some unknown joke every now and then and pretty much... the flight was just... boring. 

//Attention passengers. Please put your seatbelts on. We are arriving at Quebec City. I repeat, please put your seatbelts on. We will be arriving soon.// 

Dagger locked the two pieces together, giving out a great sigh, knowing that she would arrive at Lord Avon's soon. She pulled up the window cover and looked out. She was almost there, she could see the airport. After a slightly, bumpy landing. Dagger unlocked her seatbelt and woke up Blank. She shook his hand a little bit and he snorted. 

"W-Wha?" 

"They landed." 

"Oh." 

He muttered something sleepily under his breath and allowed Dagger to get her purse from the overhead compartment. She quickly walked off the plane, in search of her luggage. She went over to the luggage delivery and as soon as a bright yellow one slid its way down, she grabbed it and grabbed her bags that have been twirling around the machine. After a few passport confirmations and security scannings, she quickly stepped out of the airport, looking for the charter bus to Lord Avon's. It was very difficult, considering the fact that the airport was so immense. She looked around hopelessly, feeling out of place and feeling lost. 

"Hey! Dagger!" 

Dagger turned her head and smiled happily, she ran up to hug her friend. 

"Karen! Oh my God, I didn't even know you were going to Lord Avon's until Harumi told me!" Dagger squealed, delighted to see her friend. 

"Yup. I decided that I liked acting a lot better than playing hockey." Karen said with a proud smile on her face. 

Dagger arched an eyebrow, "Really? I never would've guessed." 

Karen giggled. "Yeah, I thought I liked sports better than acting too." 

The two friends shared giggles and suddenly, Karen pointed to a doorway. 

"The bus is here! Hurry!" she barked out, running towards the bus. 

Dagger ran behind, dragging everything along with her. Luckily, the bus has just arrived and they made it. The two friends sat near the front. Like on an airplane, you didn't want to be too close the the washroom. During the next hour and a half of waiting, the two gossiped and giggled throughout. Finally, the bus was full and the driver started up the engine. There was a beeping sound, and Dagger could feel the bus rise up. Then, they were on their way to Lord Avon's School of Drama... 

----------------------------------------------------- 

A/N: My first posted fic on fanfiction.net. Hope you like! Please review! ^^ And yes, I will continue this fic, for all who are wondering. 

Finished: July 26, 2002 


	2. Chapter 1

Will You Be My Canary?  
By Aquarius Mistress

A/N: Sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter. -_- If there's one computer in the world you can't trust, it's mine. My computer is totally screwed up. Barely anything in here works. I had to wait for 7 days exactly for my computer to be fixed and cleaned out and what's worse is that it's still doing a crappy job. Microsoft Word, Frontpage, Excel and a whole bunch of other stuff doesn't work and I have no clue as to why the guy who was cleaning our computer added his user stuff. I have to start up Windows with two passwords, which I don't know and my mom forgot the other cord for the cable connection. Just to think we went through all this trouble just to get cable internet... *sigh* Okay, I'm done ranting. 

And to answer Amayako-chan's question, A/U means alternate universe. :) That's what Duckie Girl told me anyway. Hehe. Speaking of Duckie Girl, no, I wouldn't kill you. Remember? There is a difference between constructive criticism and flaming. ^.~ But if you put down a flame, that a different story. Hehehe.

Disclaimer: Anything here that you recognize FF9 all belong to Squaresoft. The other characters, plot, etc. belong to me. I don't own Playstation nor have created it. It belongs to Sony.

Chapter 1

"...And so, Kevin got caught and Ms. Meredith had to chase him all across the room! It was so hilariously funny! Ms. M was so mad at him, her face was all red! You should've seen his face! He looked like he just crapped himself once he saw her face!" Karen laughed out, trying to say it without choking up. 

Dagger and her friend, Karen, giggled. They were all on their way to their destination, Lord Avon's School of Drama. On the way there, Dagger and Karen managed to avoid boredom by joking around, telling stories. But their attention was captured once they reached the community known as Olde Quebec. Dagger and Karen stared in amazement. It was beautiful. From where they were at the moment, the streets were made from the traditional stones and cement. No tar. A statue of the famous explorer, Samuel de Champlain, stood by a bridge-like path. Since they were in the upper town, you were able to see the St. Lawrence River when you stared out. Mountains covered the landscape on the other side of the river. All in all, everything was very fine-looking and all fancy-like.

A warm sunset settled over the town, casting a night-ish, warm, orange glow all around. Dagger sighed blissfully. Spending four years in a beautiful place like this was almost too good to be true.

The bus roamed around the streets, taking the group of students to the university's dormitories, which was located at another building. Dagger looked out at the window, giving a great sigh.

"What's wrong?" Karen asked, concerned.

"Nothing. Just never thought I'd see myself here." Dagger said with a smile.

Karen grinned at her. "Neither did I. I never knew Quebec City was so fancy. I mean, I knew French places were really, really fancy but not this fancy. I just hope my French is good enough... So I don't end up with frog legs and snails at a restaurant."

Dagger laughed, "Don't worry. If it's anyone who should be worrying, it's moi (me)."

"Hehe. Je ne comprends pas, mon amie. (I don't understand, my friend.)" Karen joked.

"Are you sure it's 'mon'? Isn't it suppose to be 'ma'?" Dagger said, doubtfully.

"I dunno. I think it was 'mon'..." Karen stated, unsure herself.

"Boy, were_ really_ gonna be able to communicate to other people here!" Dagger said sarcastically, letting out a giggle.

Karen smiled and took out a camera from her denim purse. "Say cheese!"

"Don't you mean fromage (cheese)?"

"Ugh... whatever."

Dagger smiled and a bright flash emitted from Karen's camera. Afterwards, the bus came to a stop. There was a beeping sound, and Dagger could feel the bus sinking back down. The driver notified the students to go collect their belongings and to go to the office afterwards, to receive their room number and keys.

Everyone scuttled out of the stuffy bus, one by one. Dagger got her bright yellow suitcase and two bags and Karen picked up her two red suitcases. If they didn't know any better, they saw a tube like bridge connected to a very large, modern-looking building beside. The two carried their luggage and entered the smaller, tall, white building. On the left, there was a small office. Dagger and Karen stood in front.

"Excusez moi (Excuse me)... " Dagger said shyly.

"Oui (Yes)?" the secretary asked, smiling.

"Uhh...Karen, how do you say that we're the students for Lord Avon's?" Dagger whispered to Karen.

Karen shrugged, but the secretary clearly heard the name 'Lord Avon'. The secretary smiled.

"Don't worry. I speak English too." she said with a heavy French accent.

Dagger and Karen sighed with relief and giggled afterwards.

"I believe that you both are students of Lord Avon's?" the secretary asked.

"Oui (Yes)." Karen giggled.

"What are your full names?"

"Dagger Natori."

"Karen Pietroth."

"Wonderful. You two seems to be in the same room."

Dagger and Karen smiled at each other. Somehow, they already knew that.

"You're both in room 206. Here are keys for both of you." the secretary said, giving out two silver keys.

Dagger and Karen took the keys, thanked the lady and waited for the elevator. It didn't take too long, considering that they were the first ones to get their keys, or so they thought. They stepped inside, taking their luggage along. Dagger pressed '2' on the panel and the doors began to close. The elevator started making a machine-like, 'wrrrr' sound and the two can feel themselves being lifted up.

Being on the second floor, it didn't take too long. The doors opened again, letting the two ladies step out, dragging their luggage along.

"206. Here it is. I just hope that the apartment is as big as they promised." Dagger hoped, getting out her key.

"Don't worry. Lord Avon's is a really good university. Of course they'll provide good things for us." Karen said, confident. After all, the building was pretty big and not a lot of students can enroll in Lord Avon's. Nope, Lord Avon's is one of a kind. The best university of drama ever.

The door creaked open and the two waltzed into their new home for the next four years. Yes, the apartment was, indeed, very large. Bigger than what Dagger and Karen thought! The apartment was very modern-looking, like everything else that belonged to Lord Avon's. There was a fairly large living room, with two, cute, little, white couches. There was a 25 inch television, a VCR, and even a Playstation. There was a small variety of videos and Playstation games. There was a small kitchen with a small table, four chairs, a mini fridge, a small stove, a microwave and a few cupboards and drawers that contain the dishes, glasses, cutlery, etc.

Dagger stepped into one of the bedrooms, that had a fairly large bed, a medium sized desk with shelves and drawers, an office chair, a night table, a closet in the wall and drawers where she can put her clothes, and the entrance to a small balcony. There was also a door that led to a personal bathroom.

"I'm taking this room!" Dagger cried, dropping her luggage in the room and jumping into the soft, queen-sized bed. Karen laughed and nodded.

"Fine. But you know I'll find a better room!" she laughed, dragging her luggage into the other rooms. To her surprise, the first bedroom she stepped into was already taken by another girl the same age as her and Dagger.

"Oh? Who are you?"

"I'm Beatrix. I live in this dorm. Who are you?"

"I'm Karen. The other girl's Dagger."

"Are you students of Lord Avon's?" Beatrix asked, tucking a strand of her light brown hair behind her ear.

"Yeah. You are too?"

Beatrix smiled. "Yeah! I guess were dorm partners! I also have a friend who's taken the room beside me. Her name's Belle."

Karen smiled back, then turned her head to Dagger's room. "Hey Dag! I found the other two girls were sharing the dorm with!"

Dagger stepped out and peered into Beatrix's room. Beatrix smiled,"Hey, Dagger. I'm Beatrix Rosalita."

Dagger smiled back. "Dagger Natori."

Beatrix grinned and then yelled out, "Hey, Belle! The other two girls are here!"

A girl with wavey, black hair and ice-blue streaks came in, smiling cheerfully. "Hello! I'm Belle LaFontaine! Pleased to meet you!"

Karen and Dagger both said 'hi' and the four all returned to their rooms afterwards, unpacking. It didn't take very long Karen to find her room, since there was only one free room left. It had everything that Dagger had, except for the balcony. She had a large window instead.

After about half an hour, everybody was done unpacking and they all settled down on the couches. 

"So how did you guys get here already?" Dagger asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh! Didn't you know? There were two charter buses that run from the airport to Lord Avon's. You two were probably on the second one. Beatrix and I were on the first one." Belle explained.

Karen nodded. "I wonder why Lord Avon's would let students have Playstation systems in their dorms."

Beatrix laughed, "No, no. I brought the Playstation. I'm a game freak when I have nothing to do so I wouldn't be able to live through four years without touching my Playstation."

The four laughed happily. They were all getting along well, with no doubt. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Belle bounced up from her seat, squealing, "That must be him!".

She quickly opened the door and immediately pounced on the visitor.

"Marcus!" she squealed, hugging him tightly.

"Marcus?" Dagger asked Beatrix.

"Yeah. He's Belle's boyfriend. Lucky girl..." Beatrix snickered.

Dagger got up to greet the man but gasped instead. "You're Marcus?!"

"Hey! You're that girl!" he pointed, dropping Belle.

Just then, Blank and Zidane popped in. Zidane and Dagger immediately made eye contact. Countdown in...3.....2.....1...

"YOU!!!!" they both shouted out, pointing at each other.

Belle looked at the two, smiling happily. "Oh? You two have met?"

"You...you jerk!!" Dagger shrieked, still pointing and in a state of shock.

"And you're that deaf chick!" Zidane snapped back, also shocked.

Belle kept smiling, not noticing the glaring contest between the two. "I see you two have met after all!" she squealed happily.

Beatrix and Karen got up and said their 'hi's and 'hello's to Zidane, Blank and Marcus, but Zidane didn't answer.

Somehow, Belle managed to get everyone to settle in the living room, whether it be pushing them or threatening to tickle them to their doom. As soon as everyone sat down, Belle made the introductions.

"Well Dagger, I see you've met Zidane. That's Blank with the red hair, and this is my boyfriend, Marcus." she said, smiling.

Everyone except Dagger and Zidane exchanged their 'hi's and 'hello's, shaking hands and introducing themselves.

After that, there was a sudden, tense silence. Nobody dared to break the silence, but Dagger and Zidane never noticed for that matter. They just kept glaring at each other. Belle, however, was just starting to notice the conflict between the two and frowned.

"Now, what's the matter with you two? I'm sure you two have met, so why the mad looks?" she said, slightly angry.

'Great. I knew getting into Lord Avon's and being able to live in Quebec City is too good to be true. I knew there had to be a catch...' Dagger thought, still glaring at Zidane.

'Oh, this is gonna be sweet. Out of all the schools that the chick could've been going to, she _had_ to make it to Lord Avon's. This is crap. Pure, crap.' Zidane thought to himself, also still glaring at Dagger.

Blank started sweating, nervous. "Uhh... I think it's time to go." Blank stammered, grabbing Zidane by the arm and dragging him out the door, but stopped before he was out, "You comin' Marcus?".

"Nah. I promised Belle I'd take her out on the first day." Marcus told Blank, putting an arm around Belle.

Blank shrugged, waved and left with Zidane trudging along. Dagger gave out a great sigh.

"Thank goodness he left." she said ignorantly.

"Why? What happened? You two got off on the wrong start?" Belle asked, concerned, hugging her boyfriend's arm.

"You can say that. Only I didn't do anything. He's the one who had to act like a jackass." Dagger scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Oh, Dagger. Zidane isn't a jackass. He's a really great friend. You see that sooner or later." Belle said cheerfully, pulling her boyfriend's arm, "Let's go Marcus. They announced earilier today that there would be an assembly in the school's auditorium at around eight."

Marcus nodded. The couple got up, waved goodbye and left the dormitory. Beatrix looked at Karen and Dagger, blinking out a message.

"Okay, let's go. We don't wanna be late." Karen said, smiling.

"What about that glass hallway that connected Lord Avon's to the building?" Dagger asked.

"I read in a magazine article that Lord Avon's had glass hallways connecting to their dorm building on the sixth and tenth floor. When I was here for the tour, I remembered that the auditorium was on the sixth floor as well." Beatrix stated.

"Thank god we have Ms. Rosalita here or we would've gotten lost!" Karen smirked, drawing a proud smile from Beatrix.

The three got up from their seats and walked out the door, locking it behind them. Their apartment wasn't very far from the elevator, just a door across. Dagger pushed the 'up' button, which lit up with a red light once touched. The building was indeed, quite large but with such a big school with little students, you didn't need to wait very long. After about a minute or two, the metal door slid open. The three girls stepped in, pressing on the button for the sixth level. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. Blank and Zidane stepped in. Dagger immediately gave a 'hmph' and turned away from Zidane while he glared at her.

"You're heading to the assembly?" Karen asked, smiling at Zidane.

"Huh? Oh yeah..." Zidane answered, coming back to reality.

"We just went back to our dorm to freshen up." Blank added.

Beatrix and Karen both looked over to Dagger.

"Dagger, geez, just let it go." Karen sighed, rolling her eyes with hands on her hips.

"Look, I dunno what happened but whatever it was, why don't you two both apologize to each other? Okay?" Beatrix suggested.

"Is that okay, Zidane?" Karen asked, smiling.

Zidane arched an eyebrow. "Only if she does too."

"How about you, Dag?" Beatrix asked.

Dagger sighed, annoyed. "Fine!"

"Okay. Zidane, you're the guy, so you apologize first." Blank said, giving him a push on the back.

"You people are so stereo-typical." Zidane muttered under his breath.

"You say something?"

"No."

"Okay then. Apologize already!"

Dagger turned around, looking at him. He took a big breath.

"I'm sorry I was such a jerk." he blurted out.

Dagger's frown slowly turned into an innocent smile. "Much better."

"Okay, Dag. You're turn." Beatrix insisted.

"What for? I didn't do anything!" Dagger said.

"Hey! We had a deal!" Zidane said angrily.

"Fine. I'm sorry for being the 'deaf chick'. There. Happy?"

"You're not being sincere." Zidane snapped.

"Okay then," Dagger said, taking Zidane's two hands in hers, making puppy-dog eyes at him and looking all sad, "I'm really sorry Zidane. Can you ever forgive me?"

Zidane pulled his hands away, blushing uncontrollably. Karen, Beatrix and Blank all laughed.

"Talk about drama." Karen sneered.

Beatrix and Blank applauded, laughing in the process. 

"And Dagger wins the award for 'Best Actress' and 'Making Zidane Blush'!" Beatrix teased.

Dagger took a bow, and smiled, amused at herself.

Soon, the elevator stopped at the sixth level. Zidane ran out while the rest walked out in an orderly fashion. Of course, they had to cross the glass hallway, but a certain someone seemed to be making this hard.

"I'm afraid of heights!!" Karen shrieked, clinging onto a rail.

"It's nothing, Karen. You won't fall." Blank said.

"But...but...I just can't, okay?!" Karen shrieked, now sitting on the floor.

"Karen, if you don't come, were gonna be late." Zidane said, tired of waiting.

"Then go on without me! I'm not crossing this thing!"

Zidane sighed and walked over to Karen. He called over Blank and the two guys took one of Karen't arm and dragged her across.

"Just close your eyes." Zidane advised.

Karen shrieked and kicked around but also took Zidane's advice and kept her eyes shut. In about two minutes, the guys managed to get her across.

"There. It wasn't so bad, was it?" Zidane asked, grinning at her.

Karen blushed a little bit. "No, I guess not."

"Okay, let's go already!" Beatrix waved, standing beside the entrance to the dark auditorium.

The group stepped inside. They were actually five minutes earlier than they thought. The auditorium was really something. Modern-looking, like everything else and there were a total of two thousand seats, fifty in each row. Some of the seats were on balconies, some on a higher level. To put it easier words, it had the layout of a real opera house. The group decided to sit in a balcony to the right, getting a spectacular view of the auditorium. There were ten seats in the balcony, in two rows of five. Dagger sat on the first one, Karen following behind and pulling Zidane with her. Blank sat on the fourth seat and Beatrix sat last.

The only lights that remained, dimmed as the principal of Lord Avon's, Ms. Freya Crescent, stood on the stage. The principal was surprisingly younger than what her real age was. The forty-year-old was wearing a white tank top with a white blouse over it and a pair of black jeans with black, high heel sandals. Her silvery-white hair was tied neatly with a blue scarf. She stood in the middle of the wooden stage, spotlight on her.

The audience quieted down when she stepped up.

"Welcome, new students, to Lord Avon's School of Drama. I'm your principal, Ms. Crescent." Freya spoke. The students' stares were all piercing through her. She laughed.

"I sound too formal don't I?" she giggled out.

A few 'yeah's and 'I dunno's popped up randomly from the audience.

"Well... it's not like me to sound so serious. You can all call me Freya. Well, all of you were especially chosen because of your talents in the drama category. Of course, Lord A's don't only do drama. This year, all of you will be doing a musical for the first semester. What musical it is, I can't say. But since this musical involves dancing, dance classes are available to you this year. Vocal music classes will also be available since you need to know how to sing in order to be one of the main characters."

The audience cheered.

"Okay okay, I'm not done yet." Freya laughed out.

The audience hushed.

"All of you have been divided into different classes with homeforms 1A to 1F. Tomorrow morning, all of you will recieve a letter at your dormitory stating which class you are in. Of course, like every other school, all of you have to sign up for the parts you're interested in and you must audition for the part. The sign-ups will take place in your first class, tomorrow morning. Classes start at nine in the morning and end at noon for your lunch break. Then classes will continue at one-thirty in the afternoon and end at four. Of course, there are no classes on Saturdays, Sundays and during holiday breaks but the school is always open if you wish to get some extra practice or some advice. The French-speaking students will be in another building that's also part of Lord Avon's School of Drama. Well, now that that's out of the way, let me introduce you to our staff."

The audience clapped and cheered as teachers and other staff members walked up and sat down. A large man about Freya's age stood beside her.

"Students, this is your Vice Principal, Mr. Aldebert Steiner. You will address him as Mr. Steiner."

The man smiled and waved at the crowd and sat back down. One by one, the staff members were introduced. First, was the secretary, Mr. Amarant Coral. He was very tall, with flaming red hair covering his eyes and was wearing a blue shirt, a maroon tie and black pants.

Next, was the guidance counselors, Ms. Rinoa Heartilly and Ms. Quistis Trepe. The two were in their thirties. Ms. Heartilly had long, black hair with copper streaks on the side. She wore a white t-shirt and ocean blue capris. Her hair was left down and she wore white and silver Adidas running shoes on her feet with white ankle socks. Ms. Trepe had long, shiny blonde hair that was tied up as a bun. She wore a black tank top with a peach-pink vest over with a matching peach-pink skirt that went down her knees, showing off her black boots.

1A's teacher was Mr. Zell Dincht. The young man seemed very vibrant and energetic. He insisted that everyone called him Zell since his last name was so hard to pronounce. He was dressed like a gym teacher. A white tank top with Nike shorts and Nike running shoes.

1B's teacher was Ms. Aeris Gainsborough. The lady had emerald green eyes, blonde-ish brown hair in a twisted pony tail and a red sleeveless shirt with a powder-pink skirt. On her feet were one-inch platform sandals with flower decorations. She seemed very pleasant.

Mr. Cid Highwind ruled over 1C's class. He had bushy blonde hair and seemed like a very spontaneous man. He was wearing a white turtleneck with a blue jacket on top. He had black pants on and black boots that seemed two sizes bigger than what it should be.

In 1D, Mr. Cloud Strife was the teacher. He seemed like a really cool guy. Spikey blonde hair. Cool name too. Mr. Strife wore a green sleeveless top and baggy indigo jeans. For a thirty-year-old, he dressed like a teenager. He didn't smile or anything. Probably trying to act cool.

1E's teacher was Ms. Tifa Lockhart. Her dark brown hair was tied at the ends with a black elastic. She had a very bright smile. She wore a white tank top with a white jacket over and a pair of light blue jeans.

Finally, 1F's teacher stood up. Ms. Edea Kramer. She was quite tall and she had flowing purple hair. Dagger snickered when she saw her. The purple hair reminded her of Eiko. She seemed very solemn and quiet. She wore a dark purple sweater and black jeans.

Then, the dance class teachers were introduced. Mr. Laguna Loire, Ms. Selphie Tilmitt, Ms. Terra Branford and Mr. Squall Leonhart. Mr. Loire was dressed in a black t-shirt and brown trousers, his long black hair tied up. He seemed very cheerful and had a very warm smile.

Ms. Tilmitt wore a bright yellow sleeveless top with navy blue track pants. Her hair was turned up at the ends, letting her hair float above her shoulders. Now _she_ was cheerful. Too cheerful you might add.

Ms. Branford had a sort of emerald-aquamarine hair that was bunched up with a red barrette. She wore a red tank top with black shorts. She seemed pretty level-headed, and had a very pretty smile.

Mr. Leonhart was quite different from the rest. He wore nothing but black. Even his running shoes were black. Black t-shirt, black pants. He had spikey brown hair, which was probably the only thing that wasn't black. He didn't smile at all. As a matter of fact, he had the same expression on his face as Mr. Strife.

And last but not least, the music teachers, Mrs. Celes Chere and Mr. Edgar Figaro. Mrs. Chere had long blonde hair with green hair clips on each side of her head. She had a green t-shirt on with white denim capris. Mr. Edgar Figaro also had long blonde hair, tied up with a dark blue hairtie. He wore a navy blue Adidas shirt and matching gym shorts.

Soon, the long assembly was over and the group gathered near the doorway of the auditorium.

"You guys wanna get some dinner? I'm starved..." Karen grumbled.

"Well, there's this really fancy French restaurant I saw called 'Bistro de Champlain'. We can always try going there." Beatrix suggested.

Karen frowned. "I dunno. I'm not in the mood for French food right now..." she muttered uncomfortably, imagining frog legs and snails dancing around.

Dagger laughed. "You're so chicken."

"Can't we just stick to McDonalds for now?" Karen pleaded.

"Fine. But you can't escape for all four years." Dagger sneered, smirking at Karen.

"Blank and I are just gonna hang at the cafeteria. We'll see y'all later." Zidane said as he waved bye, Blank trailing along.

Belle clung onto Marcus, smiling at the girls. "Well, Marcus and I are going out for dinner alone. See you later tonight."

Dagger watched the happy couple walk away, then turned back to Karen and Beatrix.

"Where's the closest McDonalds?" Dagger asked.

"Does Quebec City even have a McDonalds?" Beatrix sneered.

"Of course it does! There's McDonalds everywhere!" Karen screeched.

"I was just joking..." Beatrix mumbled, nearly deaf, "I saw one downtown."

"How do we get there?" Dagger asked. Everything seemed so hopeless.

"I dunno..."

"Great."

"Then let's just go for 'Bistro de Champlain'. I'm sure they serve good food there."

Karen frowned and started whining about the food.

"Don't worry. Just order les frites (the fries) and you'll be fine." Dagger teased.

Karen moaned in protest but agreed anyway. It was two against one after all...

~*~

"I knew you'd order the fries." Dagger laughed.

The three girls sat at a table outside on the lush green grass. They were all enjoying their meal. Dagger ordered a chicken salad, Beatrix ordered a plate of pasta while Karen chewed on her fries. They all ate in silence until they were all done.

"You know who's cute?" Karen blurted out all of a sudden.

"Who?" Dagger asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Zidane."

Dagger looked horrified. "Yuck! Ewww!!!!"

Beatrix coughed a bit. "Excuse me but...Zidane? Blech."

Karen pouted. "Awww...you guys are no fun. You just don't see Zidane the way I do. He's sooo adorable! That cute smile, his shiny blonde hair, that muscular build..."

Dagger nearly choked. "Please! Stop!"

Karen ignored her. "His eyes are pretty. Those pools of green-ish blue. And he's not a jerk at all! Remember how he helped me across the hallway?"

Dagger rolled her eyes and moaned with disgust.

"I don't see you drooling over Blank. He helped too." Beatrix stated.

"Oh but Zidane had to call Blank over to help me. He doesn't count." Karen said, shaking her head. "Nope. Zidane's one of a kind. You don't find a lot of guys with a good personality these days. Actually...I think..."

Dagger's eyes widened with disbelief. "No! Don't! I beg of you!"

"I think I'll try asking him out..."

Dagger gave a frustrated groan while Beatrix laughed. Karen sighed, lovestruck.

"I see...so _that's_ what's going on..."

The three turned their heads to see Marcus and Belle standing about two feet away from the table. Karen growled at Marcus.

"Were you two eavesdropping?"

"Who? Us? Noooo...." Marcus smirked.

"If you tell anyone anything that was mentioned in this conversation, both of you are dead!" Karen threatened, pointing at them.

Belle merely smiled. "Don't worry. I won't say a peep."

Marcus also smiled. "Me too."

Karen eyed them carefully and then sighed.

"So what are we gonna do for the night? It's a free night." Karen asked, feeling bored.

"Well we can always go shopping." Dagger suggested.

"We can do that any old time." Beatrix said, sipping her cola.

Karen's eyes lit up. "I think I'll head back to the school and try to get him to notice me."

Dagger moaned. "Well if you want someone to tag along, I'm not the one."

Karen laughed and dragged Beatrix up from her seat. "Let's go!"

Dagger, Belle and Marcus all waved goodbye and then Dagger turned to the couple.

"So how are you guys gonna spend your night?"

Belle smiled sweetly. "Marcus and I were gonna go take a walk around town, trying to get familiar with the streets."

"Okay. I'm gonna go back to the dorms. It's already 9:30." Dagger sighed.

The couple waved goodbye and strolled off while Dagger walked back to the building.

~*~

"Zidane!"

Zidane turned around to see a blonde girl wearing a purple crop top and blue jeans running towards him. Trailing along was Beatrix.

"What's wrong, Karen?"

"Oh nothing. Just thought I'd come and say hi, y'know." she said, flashing a smile.

Zidane arched an eyebrow. "Strange. Okay. You said your hi. Now what do you wanna talk about?"

Karen grinned teasingly, "Well... I was wondering, Zidane..."

"Wondering what?"

"...What do you look for in a girl?"

Beatrix snorted, trying to hold back her laughter. Karen jabbed her in the ribs. Zidane scratched his head. Nobody had asked him this before. "Well. She's gotta be sweet, cute, fun, smart, witty, and a whole lotsa other stuff."

Karen grinned deviously. "I see."

"Why are you asking me anyway?"

"Oh. No reason. Anyway, I gotta go. See ya Zidane!"

Zidane watched the two leave. Blank arrived with the two hamburgers and passed one to Zidane.

"Thanks."

"Hey, wasn't that Karen?"

"Yeah."

"Why is she here?"

"I dunno. Just asked me about what I look for in a girl."

Blank chuckled. "I see. I think she has a thing for you."

"Who? Karen?"

"Yeah. Who else?"

"I dunno. Anyway, I don't think she has a thing for me. Maybe it was just a coincidence."

"Riiight Zidane. Just a coincidence."

Blank smirked as a small blush creeped into Zidane's cheeks.

~*~

Dagger flopped down on her bed. What a stressful day. She hugged her little blue angel Hello Kitty doll and turned her head to her alarm clock on the desk. 10:00 pm. She got up from the bed and dug through her purse. She got out her cell phone and started dialing for Harumi.

*ring--ring*

*click*

"Hello?"

"Hey Harumi."

"OH DAG! Is that you?! What's Quebec City like?!"

Dagger laughed. "It's beautiful here. You can see the St. Lawrence River from here."

"Oh my gosh! You're so lucky, dammit! I wanna be there! Did you see Karen?"

"Yeah. We met at the airport."

"Where is she? I wanna say hi to her."

"She's ran off to try and impress her new crush."

Harumi arched an eyebrow, although you couldn't see her doing so. "Oh really? Who's this secret crush of hers?"

"A real jerk named Zidane."

"Hmm... Well, tell Karen I said hi, okay? I gotta go. My mom's helping me clean my room. I still get to stay at home since I'm staying in Toronto."

"Oh? I never knew you were going to University of Toronto?"

"I'm not." Harumi said cheerfully, "Ryerson accepted me. Isn't that great?!"

Dagger giggled. "Congrats. Well, I gotta finish organizing my room. Bye."

"Bye Dag. Good luck!"

*click*

Dagger placed her cell phone on the desk. She got out her school bag, which contained most of her school supplies. She even brought her laptop with her.

"Let's see..."

After an hour and a half, she finished organizing her whole room. Books were on the top shelf. CDs, her discman and a small radio were on the second shelf. Her laptop on the left of the table, a small, silver desk lamp on the right of the table, and her alarm clock, cell phone and little red rose lamp on her night table. Her writing instruments, paper, calculator and student planner in the top drawer, cosmetics in the second drawer and the third was left empty. The school provided a telephone for her which was a good thing since her cell phone may not last for four years.

She opened the door of her closet to hang her clothes. Her sweaters, t-shirts, tank tops and sleeveless tops were on the left while her jeans and capris hanged on the right. Her spring and winter jackets hung at another closet that was near the door to the apartment. She brought three pairs of shoes with her. A pair of sandals, which she wore today, running shoes and boots for the winter. She placed the two pairs on the floor of the closet while the sandals stood by the main door. Her towels, toothbrush, cup, toothpaste, hairbrush, hair drier, shower cap and soap were all placed in her own bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. Her two stuffed toys, a blue Hello Kitty angel and a big, plush, white teddy bear sat beside her pillow, Hello Kitty on the left and the teddy bear on the right.

She gave a great sigh, satisfied with the way her room looked. It was 11:32 and she was exhausted. She quickly grabbed her pajamas, her undergarmets and stepped into the bathroom for a ten-minute shower. After dressing up, she brushed her teeth, brushed her hair and stepped out of the bathroom. It was already 11:50. She looked outside her room and saw all four pairs of shoes by the by the doorway. She walked out and saw all three girls in the living room playing around with the Playstation. Karen turned around and smiled.

"Hey Dag."

"Aren't you guys gonna shower and go to bed?"

"It's the first night, remember?" Belle said, smiling as usual, "We wouldn't be able to go to sleep if we tried."

"Well...I'm really tired. I'll see you guys in the morning. G'night."

"'Night." the three girls chimed together.

Dagger closed her bedroom door and crawled into bed, pulling the soft sheets towards her. The lights went out and in no time at all... she drifted off to a peaceful sleep...

----------------------------------------

A/N: Chapter 1. Hope you like it! ^.^ Please review!

**Aug. 13, 2002- Fixed a little mistake with the dinner and lunch thing.  
**Dec. 14, 2002- Fixed up a mistake with the whole "Karen't" thing.

Originally Finished: August 10, 2002


	3. Chapter 2

Will You Be My Canary?  
By Aquarius Mistress

A/N: I am so touched! ^.^ My dear readers and reviewers... you are too kind. ^_^ I've never expected to get so many reviews with only two parts of the story. Are you sure it's worth your time? . No matter. I'm still happy happy happy. ^^ I also stuck to 'Tribal' as Zidane's last name since I couldn't think of a better one. And to answer aya-yahiko's question, yes this is a Z+D fic. Well... going to be anyway. ^.^ Hope you don't mind. Anyway, here's chapter 2. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is from Final Fantasy in this fic. I do, however, own the characters you don't recognize, like Karen and Belle. I don't own **Ashanti**'s song, **Happy** either so don't sue me. I'm broke as it is (darn back to school shopping -_-). I don't own the musical mentioned in this fic either (I won't say which musical so it won't ruin the plot. Please don't sue me for doing that.)

Chapter 2

Dagger's eyes squinted as the sunlight shone through the curtains of the large window-doors, leading to the balcony. Her alarm clock was tuned to the radio, waking her up. She slammed her hand on the alarm clock, turning off the radio. She gave a groan, sat up and stretched. For the first night spent in a bed other than her own, she slept well. She yawned and pulled off the covers, going to the washroom.

Meanwhile, the other three eventually got tired of playing Marvel Vs. Capcom on the Playstation last night and went back to their rooms to sleep. It was 6:30 in the morning. Normally, Dagger wouldn't dare get up this early, but one must perform many tasks to be ready for school. She soon came out of the bathroom, feeling fresh and slightly more alive. She quickly slipped on an ice blue t-shirt and matching Capri's. She brushed her hair and tied it up with a white hair tie. She quickly slipped off her butterfly earrings and placed in flowers with aquamarines in the middle. She walked over to the kitchen and noticed that there was an envelope on the floor. 

'That must be the letter Freya was talking about.' she thought. 

She picked it up and sat on a couch in the living room. She opened the flap and took out the neatly folded paper.

_Room 206,_

Welcome to Lord Avon's School of Drama. The four of you were divided into two homeforms.

-LaFontaine, Belle (1D)  
-Natori, Dagger (1D)  
-Pietroth, Karen (1B)  
-Rosalita, Beatrix (1B)

Please meet at your respective classes by 9:00 am.

**If you have received this letter by mistake, please return it to the office or send it to its respective room.

Guidance Counselors,  
Ms. Heartilly, Ms. Trepe

Dagger smiled. At least nobody here was left alone. She got up and knocked on Karen's door.

"Hold on! I'm changing!"

"Well at least you're awake." Dagger said with a smirk.

She could hear Karen stumble and a ruffling of clothes was heard. Karen then opened the door, her blonde hair all messed up.

"Yeah?"

"The letter came. You're in 1B with Beatrix and I'm in 1D with Belle."

"Really? That's great! Nobody's left out."

"I know. Do you think Beatrix and Belle woke up yet?"

"Probably. Anyway, I'm gonna go brush my teeth. If they're still asleep, I think you should wake them up. It's nearly 7:00."

Dagger nodded and walked over to the next door, knocking on it gently.

"Hey Bea. You awake?"

The door opened.

"Yep. I was awake hours ago. I couldn't sleep. It was too hot."

"You're in 1B with Karen."

"Really? What about you and Belle?"

"We're both in 1D."

"That's good."

Beatrix stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her.

"Belle's up. I just heard her roll off her bed." Beatrix said with a giggle, sitting on the couch, flicking on the T.V.

Dagger laughed a bit and opened Belle's door.

"Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine." Belle said with a smile, "Good morning. Did the letter come?"

"Yeah. We're in the same class. 1D. Karen and Bea are in 1B."

"That's wonderful! I hope Marcus is in 1D." Belle squealed happily, "I'm gonna go freshen up. I'll be out in around fifteen minutes."

"Alright. We'll be in the living room."

Dagger walked over to the living room, about to sit down when the doorbell rang. Who could be visiting so early? She walked over to the door and opened it to see Zidane in front with Blank and Marcus behind him.

"Oh. It's you." she said sternly.

"Well good morning to you too." Zidane replied sarcastically.

"Who is it, Dag?"

"It's them three."

Beatrix got up and came to the door. She greeted them with a smile and lead them to the living room. Dagger locked the door, joining them in the living room, sitting beside Beatrix.

"So did you guys get your letter this morning?" Dagger asked the guys, completely ignoring Zidane.

"Yeah. Here. Take a look." Blank said, passing their letter to Dagger.

_Room 414,_

Welcome to Lord Avon's School of Drama. The four of you were divided into three homeforms.

-Glace, Blank (1D)  
-Kinneas, Irvine (1E)  
-Montana, Marcus (1D)  
-Tribal, Zidane (1B)

Please meet at your respective classes by 9:00 am.

**If you have received this letter by mistake, please return it to the office or send it to its respective room.

Guidance Counselors,  
Ms. Heartilly, Ms. Trepe

"Who's Irvine?" Dagger asked, giving the letter back. She never heard of a name like that before.

"Some guy they put in our dorm. I don't like him. He's always going around, acting like some cowboy, making gunshot sounds with his mouth, spitting all over the place and then when he sees girls, he's a flirting machine." Marcus stated.

"Well it looks like you two are in the same class as Dagger and Belle." Beatrix said, referring to Blank and Marcus, "And Zidane's gonna be with Karen and I."

'Thank god he's not in our class.' Dagger thought to herself.

Just then, Karen came out, smiling happily. "Hey. I heard that Zidane's in my class!"

"Well aren't YOU excited?" Beatrix sneered, grinning teasingly at her.

Karen blushed a little bit and then sat down beside Zidane. Zidane rolled his eyes when Blank elbowed him, smirking teasingly.

"Anyway! It's almost 7:20. Where's Belle, Marcus?" Zidane asked, trying to change the obnoxious subject.

"I'm here." Belle replied, just coming out of her room, wearing a floral, long-sleeved, frilly shirt with light blue jeans. She ran up to her lover and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm starved. You guys wanna get some breakfast before class starts?" Marcus asked, right after kissing Belle back on the cheek.

Everyone nodded their heads. Marcus opened the door, stepping out of the apartment with Blank and Zidane following. The girls slipped on their shoes and Beatrix locked the door behind them. The group strolled to the elevator. Belle pressed down on the panel and the elevator doors opened after waiting for about a minute or two. Zidane pressed 6 on the panel and the elevator door closed and they could feel themselves being lifted up.

"Do any of you have any idea which musical it is?" Dagger asked, bored with everybody being so quiet.

"I heard that it was a popular one. It was out on video." Karen replied.

"I know which musical it is." Zidane said with a smirk.

Dagger arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The elevator stopped, letting the group out. Karen frowned when she saw the glass hallway. She let out a tiny whimper but nobody noticed. They just continued their conversation as they crossed the hallway with ease. Karen puffed her cheeks and held on to the rail... tight. Step by step, she made her way across the hallway, catching up to the group, who still hasn't noticed anything.

"I heard it was from a Disney video." Blank added in.

"Disney does musicals?" Dagger asked.

"I dunno about Disney but I know that the musical had lotsa magic in it." Zidane answered.

"Great. It's probably a fairy tale." Dagger said with a giggle, drawing a smirk from Zidane and Blank.

Beatrix discreetly arched an eyebrow. It seemed that Dagger and Zidane got along whenever they weren't paying attention to their strange conflict. It seemed kinda weird. Beatrix soon pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on the conversation.

"I hope it's one of those lovey-dovey kinda musicals." Beatrix said dreamily.

"Oh? I didn't know you were a romantic." Karen snickered.

"No? I love all that lovey-dovey mushy stuff." Beatrix said with a giggle.

"I do too. As a matter of fact, I already have the perfect wedding planned out in my head." Dagger added, "But the perfect wedding won't work without the right guy."

"And exactly what would be your description of the right guy?" Zidane asked teasingly.

Karen frowned when he asked that. Dagger looked surprised. This was coming from Zidane Tribal, the jerk that had such a big ego. What the hell was she thinking?! She immediately went back to being ignorant with him.

"And why should I tell you?" Dagger asked arrogantly.

Right after that remark, Zidane also returned to his old, jerky self. "Never mind. It's not like I'm interested anyway."

"Good." Dagger replied sternly.

"Hey, hey, settle down. What'd you guys want? Breakfast is on me." Marcus offered.

"I'll have pancakes with maple syrup." Dagger replied, sitting down at a table.

The rest of the group sat down too, except Marcus, who stood there, waiting for more requests.

"I'll have pancakes too." Blank replied.

"Okay. I'll have them too." Beatrix added.

"Okay. Three pancakes. What about you guys?" Marcus asked, looking at Belle, Zidane and Karen.

"I'll have some bacon and toast." Zidane said.

"I'll have the same thing." Karen squealed happily with a smile on her face.

"Hash browns, please. Don't forget the ketchup." Belle reminded him, smiling sweetly.

Marcus nodded and trudged off to the short line.

"So, if this musical really is a lovey-dovey thing, that must mean that it would probably involve kissing right?" Dagger asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think. Musicals about love usually has kissing in it." Beatrix answered.

"Just tell us which musical it is, Zidane!" Belle pleaded.

Zidane shook his head and smirked. "Nah. Wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise, would I?"

"I bet that you really don't know." Dagger sneered.

"Well, you're just jealous because I know something you don't." Zidane stated, smirking like he was all smart and everything.

"Jealous? Moi (me)? I don't think so." Dagger said coolly.

Just then Marcus came back with two trays, full with plates of food. Everyone grabbed their requested dishes and started eating.

"When does class start again?" Blank asked, mouth full of food.

Belle swallowed her bite. "I think Freya said nine."

Zidane looked up at the cafeteria's clock, hanging above the doors. "It's eight."

"We'd better hurry then. Even I don't know where the classes are. It'll take a while to find them." Beatrix declared, taking a bite out of her pancakes.

Everyone agreed and in about 15 minutes, they finished their meal. Karen took the trays and placed them on the platform where it says 'trays'.

"Let's go to the office and ask the secretary." Karen suggested as she ran back up to the group.

"Where's the office?" Zidane asked.

"On the first floor, obviously. Didn't those past fourteen years of school teach you anything?" Dagger scorned.

Zidane scowled at her and just continued walking along. The group reached a different elevator. A boy with his long honey-brown hair tied up, wearing a black sleeveless top with jeans walked over and pressed on the 'down' button. Marcus rolled his eyes when he saw him. The boy smiled brightly and waved at the group.

"Hey you guys. Grabbed a bunch of lovely ladies here I see."

"Go away, Irvine." Zidane said, annoyed.

"Oh? Why the sour attitude? Aren't you afraid I'll shoot you with my gun?" Irvine joked, making a gun with his hand and making 'baaaam!' and 'pshhh!' sounds. He was obviously splashing spit everywhere. Everyone stood back.

"Stop it Irvine. It's annoying. You're spitting all over the place." Blank muttered, moving away from the spit Irvine was shooting out of his mouth.

Irvine stopped and wiped his mouth. Everyone frowned at the disgusting boy.

"What's wrong? Still scared?" Irvine said with a smile.

Dagger rolled her eyes. "How immature can you get?"

"Very." he replied, flipping his hair over his shoulder.

Dagger threw her hands in the air, frustrated. Just then, the elevator door opened. Everyone stepped in quickly. Irvine pushed the button for the lobby. The doors closed and the elevator started going down.

"You know, that's a pretty hot girl you got yourself beside you, Zidane. You guys an item?" Irvine said with a smirk.

Zidane and Dagger looked at each other, horrified.

"HELL NO!!!" they both shouted aloud.

Irvine smirked deviously, "Good..."

Dagger looked at him, confused but pushed the thought out as soon as the elevator door opened. Irvine walked out coolly, waving to Dagger and walked off after saying, "See ya around, cutie."

Dagger shuddered, disgusted by that boy. As she turned around, she gazed at her surroundings. The whole school was built like it was some business company. There were glass windows everywhere, escalators, elevators, a fairly large office... and dozens of doors and signs. She could get lost in here if she wasn't careful! The group continued towards the front desk, where a tall, thin man with flaming red hair sat. They all stopped in front of him and he looked up with a stern look.

"Yes. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Mr. Coral. We want to know where all the classes for first year students are, please." Karen asked with a sickeningly sweet voice.

"It's just on the second floor through the left and right halls. 1A-1C on the left, 1D-1F on the right. Anything else?" Mr. Coral asked.

Karen shook her head, thanked the man and the group proceeded to the staircase. It would be faster using that than the elevator. After all, it's only the floor above. Dagger opened to door to the staircase and the group followed in. After a few steps, Dagger opened to door with a number 2 on it, revealing the second floor of the school, which was quite similar to the first floor. She didn't notice it until now, but the school had speakers outside of the classrooms, letting music from a radio station be heard. The radio station was playing **Ashanti**'s, **Happy**, one of the songs that Dagger enjoyed. The group stopped in Central Park 2. There was a Central Park on each floor, except the first, each one with their floor number after the name. Central Parks were places where students just hang out, relax and chat.

"Well. We'll meet you guys at lunch. Meet here, 'k?" Zidane stated, making sure none of them would get lost. Of course, he wouldn't mind if Dagger did but...

Dagger, Belle, Marcus and Blank all started towards the left hall while Zidane, Karen and Beatrix waltzed down the right.

~*~

The class sat in a circle of chairs. There weren't a lot of students. Every class must've been this small. There were only about 11 people. They were all chit chatting cheerfully when Dagger, Belle, Blank and Marcus walked in. They all took empty seats that scattered everywhere. After a few minutes of waiting, a tall, fairly muscular man walked in with spiky, blonde hair, wearing a navy blue sleeveless top with dark, baggy, indigo jeans.

"Okay, 1D, settle down. I'm Mr. Strife, your homeform teacher. But Mr. Strife is too formal, so you guys can call me Cloud. First of all... introductions. I need to learn your names. We'll go around the circle, saying our full names and our interests and hobbies. Let's start off with me, and we'll go around clockwise."

The students nodded obediently.

"My name is Cloud Strife. I'm 30 years old and I enjoy playing football, basketball and I enjoy training myself in terms of self-defense classes like kick boxing and karate."

A young male student raised his hand, shouting out, "Oh, Cloud! I heard that you used to work for a secret organization called SOLDIER. Is that true?!"

Cloud fumbled, but remained a straight face. "That's personal."

"Cloud, is it true that Ms. G and Ms. Lockhart are chasing you?" a girl shouted out.

Cloud fought hard to hold back his blush and kept a straight face. "...Next person!"

Laughter, cat calls and 'ooooooohh!'s filled the room.

~*~

"Alright now, 1B. Let's get those introductions that you hate so much, over with. We'll go around in a circle and say our full names and something interesting about his or herself. I'll start off and we'll go around the circle in a clockwise direction."

The students shifted around nervously and nodded.

The teacher smiled sweetly. "My name's Aeris Gainsborough, but you can call me Aeris or Ms. G. I'm 31 and I enjoy playing badminton and soccer. I also enjoy gardening. My garden's full of flowers and trees."

"Aeris, there's a rumor that you're chasing Mr. Strife. Is that true?" a female student shouted out.

Aeris blushed and smiled, "Let's just keep that between us, okay?"

She winked and the whole class looked at each other excitedly.

"Ms. G, are you in a love triangle between you, Mr. Strife and Ms. Lockhart?" the same student yelled out.

"That's enough questions now!" Aeris responded with a giggle.

~*~

"Alright, class. Now, all of you have attended the welcoming assembly, right?" Cloud asked.

Most of the class nodded while some others murmured, "There was an welcoming assembly?"

"Well, if you all remembered, Freya said that all first year students will be performing a musical for your first semester marks. Let me explain how we mark you before I tell you the musical were doing. We mark the first semester by your behavior and your dedication to your work. For behavior, we grade you on how well you get along with others, how well you take instructions from the teacher, and how well you can work with others, no matter who it is. In terms of dedication, you must be able to work hard to keep improving on your skills. You also have to be able to spend sometime to memorize your scripts to your fullest abilities. We wouldn't want to practice if nobody remembered their lines."

Everyone nodded and muttered 'okay' to him.

~*~

"Now, about the musical. The musical that we will be performing on January 20, 2003 is Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. It came out on a Disney video if you didn't know. We will be taking the dialogue out of the movie and into the play. We've asked Disney for permission to perform this musical. Each of you will be presented with a script with dialogue between Cinderella and Prince Christopher. Girls will act out Cinderella, boys will act out the Prince. The auditions will be held the day after tomorrow, so you have today and tomorrow to prepare. Any questions?" Aeris asked, looking over the class with a pretty smile.

"What happens if Disney declines?" a male student asked, his hand waving in the air.

"Then we'll have another play that one of the teacher wrote that you will perform. Even though there's a chance that Disney might decline, I would still recommend you to practice hard during your free time." Aeris responded.

"Is this musical the same Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston in it?" Karen asked with sudden interest.

"Why, yes. It is." Aeris responded with a grin.

Karen squealed excitedly. She had this movie at home and she loved it! It was her favourite fairy tale and she loved the way Disney made it so fantasy-like.

"Here are the scripts. Each of you grab one and start practicing. You guys have the rest of today and tomorrow off to practice for the auditions on Wednesday." Aeris declared, passing a script to each student around the circle.

As soon as she finished, she stood by her desk. "Don't forget that your script has to be memorized. Take the fact that there will be singing and dancing in this performance and if you need dance or vocal training, sign up for those classes because there will be singing in the script. You will each do this part with another person, depending whether you're Cinderella or the Prince. I will speak out the part of the stepmother and stepsisters if necessary. You must also use gestures and such to show more detail in your acting if you wish to get a good part. Class dismissed."

Karen, Beatrix and Zidane all dragged themselves out of the classroom, chatting excitedly about the musical.

"I knew it was this one!" Zidane said proudly.

"Oh Zidane! Can you help me with the script? After all, we'll need to practice." Karen asked him, smiling sweetly.

"Sure. I could use the practice." Zidane responded with a shrug.

Karen squeaked cheerfully, while Beatrix laughs at the way she's acting. Zidane, however, being quite the clueless guy, thought she was just happy to get some practice arranged. The three walked down the halls and sat down on a bench in Central Park 2. A few minutes later, Zidane spotted Dagger, Blank, Belle and Marcus walking towards them.

"You guys got your scripts?" Karen asked, holding up a little booklet.

Dagger nodded with a happy smile. "Yeah. I can't believe we're doing that Cinderella musical with Brandy and Whitney Houston in it. I loved that one! I even memorized the songs! Oooh. It was so sweet!"

"What a coincidence! I loved that movie too! I even brought the movie with me in case I was in the mood for some mushy love movie." Beatrix added in, giggling.

"This is gonna be fun. I wanna be either Cinderella or the Fairy Godmother. Those two are my favourites." Dagger said.

"Hey, why don't you three help us with the scripts? It'll help all of us to get the feel of it." Beatrix stated.

"Well, I'm already in because Karen asked for my help." Zidane replied.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Blank added.

Marcus nodded in agreement.

"Great! Let's go back and practice then. We only have the rest of today and tomorrow to practice, and that's not a lot of time." Belle said cheerfully.

The group agreed and started heading towards the elevator for the sixth floor. As soon as they reached the glass hallway, Karen squeaked and Zidane and Blank had to drag her across again. Dagger sighed hopelessly.

"You know, Karen. You're gonna have to use this hallway for the next four years. Aren't you going to at least _try_ to cross without their help?" Dagger asked the frightened blonde.

"Maybe. J-Just maybe, one day. B-But I'm not starting today!" Karen responded as she was dragged over.

Zidane and Blank soon reached the other side. They let go of Karen and she stood up, brushing herself off. The group continued towards the elevator to descend to the second floor. They walked to the girls' dorm and Beatrix unlocked the door.

"Okay, let's start practicing! C'mon Zidane, I wanna do good in the auditions!" Karen declared as she pulled on Zidane's arm and dragging him into her room to practice.

"Alright! Let's go rehearse, Marcus!" Belle stated, pulling Marcus into her room also.

"Well, I guess we're gonna have to share Blank?" Dagger asked Beatrix, giggling slightly.

"Hey, I don't mind as long as I get some practice done. But I'm warning you, I can't sing very good." Blank cautioned them with a chuckle.

"I don't mind. Let's go! The living room is free and there's plenty of space there for three people." Beatrix said.

Dagger and Beatrix both linked arms with Blank and dragged him over to the living room. The both giggled. They all sat down on a couch, reading over their script first. Dagger looked at the script. It was gonna take a lot of work to memorize so much.

As the hours passed by, everybody almost had their lines completely memorized. They took breaks every now and then. Belle cooked lunch for everybody and they went back to their practicing. A few voices started singing during practice. Blank's voice was horrible. It screeched and was off-key. He definitely needed some vocal training. Dagger sang normal. Beatrix had a very lovely voice though. Sometimes, when she sang, Zidane, Karen, Belle and Marcus would pop out to see who's singing. Belle had a lovely singing voice too. Karen sometimes struggles with high notes but a pretty voice nonetheless. Zidane sings pretty decent for a guy and Marcus wasn't so bad either. When they acted, they had to exaggerate the face expressions, gestures and the tone of their voices in order for the audience to understand what they're doing and how they feel. After several hours, it was already 7:00 in the evening. Karen declared the end of the the work period and volunteered to cook dinner for everybody. The rest of the group relaxed in the living room while Karen cooked. Belle, Marcus and Blank were sitting on one couch while Dagger, Zidane and Beatrix sat across from them in the other couch.

"God, I'm beat. My head hurts from memorizing so much. And my throat hurts from singing so much." Dagger groaned, hugging a cushion.

"I'm sleepy..." Beatrix said, half-asleep.

"What really sucks is that we don't even know if we're really gonna do this musical..." Zidane blurted out, eyes half closed.

Belle was exhausted as well. Anybody could tell because Belle was leaning on Marcus' shoulder, sleeping. Marcus was also starting to fall asleep. His eyes were closed and his head leaned on the back of the couch, his orange bandanna slipping off and revealing his chestnut brown hair.

"Does anybody have a coffee? I need some caffeine." Blank said, yawning.

"I'm gonna go to bed early tonight." Zidane added in sluggishly.

The sleepy group remained silent while Karen cooked up a storm in the kitchen, whistling happily.

"How does that girl do it? She's like that pink bunny thingy from that battery commercial..." Dagger said, too tired to elaborate on the commercial, "She just keeps going and going and going and going and..."

Before she could help herself, Dagger fell asleep, without knowing, leaning on Zidane's left shoulder. Everybody was too tired to notice, including Zidane himself, who also fell asleep, his head leaning on Dagger's. Beatrix snuggled against a cushion, sleeping. Blank also found himself sleeping as well, snoring quietly.

"Hmm... dinner's ready! Go wash your hands!" Karen stepped in with a frilly white flower apron, smiling cheerfully. Her smile turned into a frown when she saw everybody asleep. 

'What lazy bums...' she thought to herself, hands on her hips.

But her frowned got bigger when she saw Dagger and Zidane together, sleeping soundly. Her heart ached with pain and a few tears threatened to spill over but she quickly sniffed and wiped them away. Maybe it was just a coincidence? After all, they can't stand each other's company. She nodded to herself and went over and shook each of them, awaking them from their slumber. 

Dagger moaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She felt something warm and fuzzy over her head. She looked up and saw Zidane leaning on her, waking up. She quickly pulled away and blushed. She cursed in her mind for falling asleep in the first place. Zidane also saw her leaning on his shoulder when he woke up. He also pulled away but he didn't mind Dagger leaning on him for some reason. For what reason he couldn't understand but either way, this was Dagger Natori. The 'deaf chick' that's always pissing him off. They both looked at each other with calm eyes at first but then turned away from each other letting out a 'hmph'.

"Dinner's ready you guys. Now hurry up and wash your hands before it's cold." she said, sounding like parent.

Every mumbled and muttered 'okay's and 'fine's and lined up by the washrooms. Karen washed her hands at the kitchen sink and set plates of food on the table. Everybody gathered at the table, sitting down and started eating their macaroni and cheese. They all ate in silence, eating slowly. As soon as they finished, Dagger cleared the table and Karen washed the dishes.

"I'm too tired to do anything else. I'm just going to bed." Dagger said with a yawn.

"Alright, good night." Karen said as she wiped a dish dry.

Dagger stepped into her room, turned on the lights and shut the door. Zidane watched her go in her room and then turned his gaze away, stepping out the door.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow for another practice session." he muttered sleepily.

"Alright. G' night guys." Belle said, waving goodbye.

The three boys stepped out and Beatrix locked the door. As soon as everything was cleaned up, the three returned to their room. Meanwhile, Dagger has already showered and is in her pajamas, snuggled up in her bed. She reached for her rose lamp and pulled on the ball chain, turning the light off and she fell in to a dreamless sleep, feeling warm and fuzzy.

-------------------------------------

A/N: Hey! Liked it? Hope so! I finally got my piano exam over with! Yay me! ^.^ Oh, by the way, just so I won't get sued... I do not own Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Don't sue meee! And I just e-mailed Disney today, asking for permission and yes, I have a back-up play in case they say no. Planned out the back-up play due to personal experiences. My friend thought it would be a good idea since it's kinda like a soap opera, this life of mine. -.-

Finished: August 20, 2002


	4. Chapter 3

Will You Be My Canary?  
By Aquarius Mistress

A/N: Hey, you guys! ^.^ Thanks for all the great reviews. Sorry this chapter took so long. I waited forever for Disney to reply to my message but they still haven't so I'm gonna use Cinderella anyway since it's only a fanfic. I'm not making any money out of this anyway :P. I know in this chapter, not a lot happens but hey!! Next chapter is the audition!! ^_^

**Note to Sugar Sweet:** The reviewer who posted up the mistake thingy was showing a mistake I made. Apparently, I had a mix-up because it was suppose to be night time in the fic but I accidentally added some words which referred to the afternoon (i.e.. lunch, noon, etc.). I had this chapter planned out but then I realized that when Dagger and Karen arrived at Quebec City, it was already sunset. So I had to change everything so it fits the evening scene. I guess I missed a few parts, huh? ^.^; (pssst!! I'm Canadian too! ^.~) Thanks for the French vocab though! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize from Final Fantasy. I do own my original characters though (Belle, Karen, etc.). I don't own Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella either. Don't sue me, I don't even have a job yet!

Chapter 3

Another day in Quebec has awakened as the sun beamed, shedding light through windows and awakening the city. It was another beautiful morning in Quebec City. Dagger squinted her eyes and pulled her sheets over her head, attempting to block out the sunlight shining on her. After a few minutes, her alarm clock went off, tuning to the radio. She gave a frustrated groan and turned off the radio. 

"I just had to forget that today was a free day..." Dagger growled to herself.

She pulled off the sheets and gave a great yawn. She stepped into the washroom, taking a quick shower, brushing her teeth and changing into a black tank top with a powder pink, silk skirt that went all the way down to her feet. Her hair was neatly put up with chopsticks.

As soon as she stepped out, the living room and kitchen were empty. As usual, Dagger was the first to awake. Then again, she had forgot to turn off the alarm since today was a free day. She opened all the windows, letting the early autumn wind blowing into the apartment. After, she plopped onto the couch, still tired. A door opened, and a happy Karen swept out, dressed in a pink cotton t-shirt with a matching overtop and dark indigo jeans.

"Good morning." Dagger greeted with a yawn.

"Still tired?" Karen asked with a smile.

"No. I feel hyper." Dagger said sarcastically.

"Hehehe. Someone got off the wrong side of the bed today."

"And somebody is using stupid clichés first thing in the morning."

Karen giggled at the grouchy Dagger. She flopped down beside next to her, a question that has been keeping her awake for half the night.

"Sooooo... how'd it feel to wake up with your head on Zidane's shoulder?" Karen asked with glee.

Dagger looked at her weirdly, arching an eyebrow. "Trust me. You don't wanna know."

"Awww... c'mon. For me?" Karen asked sweetly.

"Well, if it interests you, it was horrible. He puts waaaaay too much cologne on and it gave me a headache." Dagger said half-heartedly.

Karen frowned but she knew Dagger was still exhausted from practicing yesterday. Just then, Karen's stomach growled slightly. She blushed sheepishly.

"Oops..."

Dagger giggled a bit and then got up. "How about this? I'll make breakfast for you guys. Why don't you go buy us some coffee so we can feel a bit more alive."

Karen nodded and got up. She slipped on her sandals and opened the door.

"Be back in a minute..."

The door closed and Dagger went to lock the door. She walked over to the kitchen and sighed.

"Now how did Eiko make her mango and orange juice again?"

~*~

"Hurry up, Zidane! You take so damn long!" Irvine whined, pounding on the bathroom door.

Unlike the girls, the guys had a different dorm. They didn't have personal bathrooms, only two bathrooms at the end of the hallway. Blank was busy in the other one while Zidane took his time in his. Luckily for Marcus, he went before everyone else did, since he woke up first. Now he was relaxing in the living room, watching television.

"Hey. A guy's gotta do what a guy's got to do." Zidane replied.

Irvine started dancing around, crouched over. "Hurry!! I can't hold it any longer!!"

A flush could be heard and then the tap over the sink turned on. A rush of water could be heard. Zidane started whistling happily while Irvine bit his lip. The sounds he heard through the door wasn't doing much good.

"STOP TAKING YOUR DAMN TIME AND LET ME IN!!!! I'M GONNA PISS MY PANTS!!!!" Irvine demanded, teetering on the brink of giving up.

"Ya don't have to get worked up about it." Zidane said as he turned off the tap and dried his hands with a towel, "Just promise me. If I let you in, you got to promise to stop any of that guns stuff and spittin' all over the place..."

"I PROMISE!!!"

Zidane smiled to himself and opened the door. At the very moment, Irvine barged in, locked the door and let out a big sigh of relief. Zidane shuddered in disgust and then shouted out, "Remember! You promised!"

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever!" Irvine responded, not giving a care for anything at the moment.

Zidane chuckled in response and walked over to the living room, sitting down on a couch.

"So are we still going over to the girls' place to practice today?" Marcus asked suddenly.

"I think so. God, I can't stand that Karen. She's so cheerful, especially around me! Ughh... she's acting so obvious that she's starting to act freaky." Zidane said with a huff.

Marcus gave a chuckle and then stood up. "Well, we better head over soon. I promised Belle I'd be over there around nine."

Zidane jerked his thumb to the washrooms, "Tell that to them two."

"What two?" Blank asked, wearing a towel around his waist.

"Hey, hurry up and put a shirt on. We have to be at the girls' place by nine." Marcus said, throwing a towel at Blank.

Blank grabbed the towel and ruffled his hair with it, stomping into his room, searching for a clean shirt.

"Wazzzzzzap?" Irvine shouted out, dressed in a clean black shirt and cowboy jeans along with his hair tied up as usual and a cowboy hat to top it off. He walked around and then sat on the couch.

"Hurry up Blank, we only have five minutes!" Marcus shouted out.

A ruffle of clothes could be heard through the door and then Blank stepped out, wearing a regular white t-shirt with baggy jeans.

"Where are you guys going?" Irvine asked out of curiosity.

The other three guys found it weird because out of all the times that they ditched Irvine to go to the girls' place, he never asked a thing. And now, out of nowhere, he asks where they were going.

"We're going to my girlfriend's place." Marcus explained quickly.

"Oh. You wouldn't mind if I tagged along, would ya?" Irvine asked, almost acting like he was desperate.

"No, you're not coming." Zidane quickly added.

"Why not?"

"Because they don't like you."

"How would you know?" Irvine asked, demanding an answer. Then it clicked. "Wait... is Marcus' girlfriend with those girls I saw the other day?"

"Yeah. And you know they don't like you so just don't follow us okay?" Blank responded rather coldly.

"Awww... c'mon. Why not? I wanna meet new people around here too." Irvine said, almost rather spitting on the fact that he didn't wanna be left out.

"Sorry dude. Maybe next time, okay?" Marcus responded rationally.

Irvine gave a pout and then nodded. The three left their apartment while Irvine shut the door and locked it.

~*~

Dagger placed plates of food on the table. She has managed to make Eiko's famous juice along with scrambled eggs, pancakes and some toast. She glanced around the table, proud of herself. She just hopes that no one will get food poisoning from her though. Just then, the main door unlocked and a blonde girl stepped in, holding two trays of coffee.

"I'm back!" Karen screeched cheerfully.

"Already? I'd thought you'd take a long time since you had to cross the glass hallway." Dagger stated, placing strips of bacon on a frying pan, not bothering to look.

"Well, you see, I had a little help on the way..." Karen said shyly.

As if on cue, Blank walked in with Zidane and Marcus behind him. Dagger arched her eyebrow and turned around, glaring at Karen.

"So you got dragged across again?"

"Yeah, kinda." Karen said, feeling a little guilty.

"And let me guess... you bought extra coffee for them."

"Well... yeah."

Dagger sighed and turned back to the frying pan, the bacon sizzling noisily. The boys sniffed the air and 'mmmmm's emitted from their lips. They glanced at the table and their stomachs instantly grumbled.

"Uhh... you wouldn't mind if we joined you guys for breakfast, would ya?" Blank asked sheepishly.

"No. I cooked too much anyway. Got carried away, I guess..." Dagger murmured as she picked up each slice of bacon with a fork onto a small dish with napkins on it to soak up the oil. It was clear that she wasn't too keen on serving Zidane but if she didn't feed him, he'll start his obnoxious whining.

"Where's Belle? I was here on time, right?" Marcus asked, looking around the apartment.

"I don't think she's up yet. Neither is Beatrix... I think." Karen stated as she placed the trays of coffee on the table, "I'll go wake them up."

Karen ran off to Belle's door and knocked on it while the boys sat around the table, waiting for breakfast to be served. Dagger placed the bacon on the table and then opened the cupboards, looking for plates. While Marcus and Blank engaged in a conversation, Zidane couldn't help but peek at Dagger every now and then. The apron she wore made her look so innocent and cute. It was canary yellow and it was frilly on the shoulder straps. There was also a small pouch at the front with Tweety on it. But hey, it was only because she looked cute in an apron.

'Doesn't mean she'd actually start acting cute anytime soon..." Zidane thought to himself and looked away from her, inviting himself to the conversation between Blank and Marcus.

Meanwhile, Karen managed to get Beatrix and Belle out of bed. She skipped out cheerfully and took a seat beside Zidane. Marcus nudged him and gestured to Karen. Zidane rolled his eyes discreetly and just shrugged.

"I don't think there will be enough chairs for all of us. I'll go grab the other chairs from our rooms." Karen declared as she stood up and walked over to her room.

As soon as she disappeared from sight, Dagger took off her apron and placed it on a hook on the wall. Then she placed the plate of bacon on the table. Before the guys grabbed their plates and started ravaging the food, Dagger made an announcement.

"I have to warn you guys, I'm not a very good cook and I'm afraid people getting food poisoning because of me. Zidane, can you make yourself helpful and test it for me?" she asked, trying to imitate Karen's sickeningly sweet tone.

Zidane glared at Dagger, who only smiled back innocently. Marcus and Blank chuckled devilishly at him and Dagger shoved a fork in Zidane's hand. Zidane glared at her while Dagger merely smiled.

"You don't want us to get food poisoning, do you?" Blank asked jokingly.

Zidane growled at him and then scooped up some of the eggs and then placed it inside his mouth. To his surprise, she wasn't that bad of a cook. They actually tasted like food, but he wasn't about to let Dagger get the better of him.

"They were horrible! What the hell did you put in these?! I swore I felt some pieces of the eggshells in my mouth!" Zidane exclaimed. Unfortunately, Zidane wasn't a very good liar. Never was, never will.

Dagger squealed and clasped her hands together, mocking him. "I'm so glad you enjoyed them Zidane! Okay then, dig in! Just remember to save some for us."

She smiled sweetly at him and then returned to her room, grabbing a chair. Marcus and Blank spluttered out laughter as soon she left. Zidane shot them a look and they instantly stopped. In all of their years of being Zidane's buddies, you did _not_ want to see him mad. Karen soon returned with two chairs, placing them neatly. One beside Marcus, the other beside Blank. Then she took her seat beside Zidane and everyone at the table started eating their breakfast. Dagger soon returned with her chair as well and sat down beside Blank while Beatrix and Belle has just came out, yawning.

Belle was wearing a lilac t-shirt with army green khakis. She dragged her chair along placed it beside Dagger while she took the seat beside Marcus. Beatrix took the last seat, wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt with black jeans. The group began eating hastily, gulping down the food as fast as they can so they can start practicing earlier.

"This is good stuff, Dag. When did you learn to become such a cook?" Beatrix asked, nibbling on her toast.

"Oh, you know. Here and there. My little sister is a really great cook and she taught me a few things." Dagger replied proudly.

"Did she teach you how to make this juice too? I've never had something like this before." Blank stated, taking another sip of his juice.

"Yeah. All the credit goes to my lil' sister, Eiko." Dagger replied, chewing on her bacon.

"What time is it?" Zidane asked, chomping on pancakes.

"It's almost ten. I think we better start practicing now." Karen stated, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Everyone nodded and finished their meals, cleaning up the table afterwards. Everyone got back into their original partners and started working. Karen dragged an annoyed Zidane into her room to practice, Marcus and Belle were in her room and Dagger, Beatrix and Blank had the living room to themselves.

~*~

"(singing) The sweetest sounds I'll ever hear are still inside my head... The kindest words I'll ever know are waiting to be said... The most entrancing sight of all is yet for me to see... And the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me... Waiting somewhere... somewhere for me..." Belle sang sweetly.

Marcus just stared at her, spellbound by her voice. Meanwhile, Belle tapped her foot impatiently.

"Marcus!! It's your line!" she reminded him, making him snap back to reality.

Marcus suddenly came flying back, shaking his head a little bit. Belle looked at him in his golden-blue eyes, worried.

"Something wrong, hun?"

"No, nothing. Just that..."

And then Marcus closed his mouth, not knowing what to say next. Belle looked at him worriedly.

"Just that what? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just that... your voice is... beautiful..." Marcus said softly, smiling.

Belle flushed and looked away. Marcus smiled softly and wrapped his muscular arms around Belle. She turned around to face him and smiled a bit. The two looked into each other's eyes as if they were hypnotized by each other. He moved in slowly. Belle could feel his warm breath drawing closer and closer. She suddenly felt lightheaded, and kinda faint. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Marcus' neck. Marcus felt weak but held Belle in his arms tightly and soon... their lips locked into a soft, passionate kiss...

~*~

"No no no! You're suppose to do it passionately, Zidane! Sing it right so it looks realistic! You're suppose to be a romantic, cute prince... Not some bum on the street attempting to daydream!!" Karen squealed, stomping her foot childishly on the floor.

"But I can't sing good! I told ya that! Stop pushing me already, I'm trying hard!" Zidane snapped, annoyed.

Karen pouted. She knew Zidane was right but still... She was Cinderella, he was the prince. She was suppose to jump for joy that he's singing for her and returning her affections in the play... but he just wasn't that good when it came to singing. She sighed and then nodded.

"Okay okay... I'm sorry. But still... can't you take those vocal classes or something?" Karen pleaded, feeling a twinge of guilt.

"Yeah. Blank and I signed up for vocal classes already. Maybe you should sign up too. It wouldn't hurt to try it." Zidane suggested.

Karen scowled him, offended by his comment. "I can sing very well, Mr. Tribal!! I'm appalled!"

"Hey hey, take it easy. I'm just saying... maybe these vocal classes can make you an even better singer. You know... help you on your high notes? There's a class tomorrow if you wanna come along." Zidane offered, realizing what mess he's getting himself into.

Karen's face brightened up and she smiled sweetly. She clasped her hands tightly and held it to her chin, resting her head on it. "Really? You really mean it?"

"Uhh... yeah... I guess?" Zidane said to himself, unsure.

Karen squeaked and hugged up against him while Zidane sat there, dumbfounded.

~*~

"Okay Blank, you and Dag will practice with the Cinderella/Prince Christopher parts while I'll just fill in for the stepmother and stepsister's voices. Okay?" Beatrix asked, holding the script in her hand.

"Alright. Let's go. Don't forget to use gestures, Blank. And try not to screech so much when you sing." Dagger suggested kindly.

"Don't worry. I'll try not to screech that much." Blank reassured.

The two acted out their parts, gestures and all. Beatrix filled in whenever she needed to. There was a beautiful song called "The Sweetest Sounds". In the beginning, Cinderella and the Prince, who was disguising himself as a peasant, roamed around the streets, singing the song together without notice. After the song, Cinderella was nearly ran over by one of the royal carriages. Seeing her drop all her things, Prince Christopher went over to help Cinderella pick her things up. At first, he didn't notice, but when he saw her face, he looked as if he was entranced by her beauty. Cinderella thanks him and then walks away, thus ending the part of the script that everyone needed to act out. As Dagger and Blank ended the part, Beatrix clapped her hands and squealed excitedly, as if she was Karen.

"You have no idea how cute you two look doing that!!" Beatrix gushed, clutching her hands together.

Dagger blushed a bit and then grabbed a cushion and hurled it at Beatrix. The two girls laughed while Blank walked over to the kitchen, taking a glass and filling it with water.

'Girls...' he thought as he took a sip of his water.

~*~

Soon, the morning became noon, the sun beaming brighter than ever into the rooms. Karen and Zidane stepped out, seeing Beatrix and Blank act out Cinderella and the Prince while Dagger read out the parts for the stepmother and stepsisters.

"Hey you guys. It's almost 1:00. What'd you say we call it off for today and go for lunch?" Karen asked, slightly tired from the intense practice session.

"Sure. I could go for a break. My throat hurts from singing so much. I really _do_ need those vocal classes..." Blank said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Where's Belle and Marcus? Aren't they coming along?" Zidane asked, looking around.

"Ahh... you know those two. They do _everything_ together. They'll probably go off somewhere else. I'll write a note and leave it for them." Beatrix stated, grabbing a pen and paper near a white cordless phone on a table near one of the white couches. "Oh. By the way, where are we gonna go for lunch?"

"I was thinking of doing a picnic but I don't think anybody's really in the mood to cook..." Dagger added in.

"How about we just go to a mall, eat at the food court and get some shopping done before we don't have the time anymore?" Karen suggested.

"Sure. Sounds great." Beatrix said kindly, scribbling on the piece of paper, "Okay, done. Let's go!"

The group waddled on their shoes and stepped out, locking the door. As they walked towards the stairs, Blank and Zidane trudged behind the rest.

"Man... do we _have_ to go shopping with them? I mean... shopping with girls is NOT an easy thing..." Zidane whispered to Blank.

Blank shrugged, "Maybe we'll find some place else we can go to and leave 'em to do their thing."

Zidane nodded and the two continued walking behind the girls. They soon reached the ground floor and Karen opened the door for everyone. They all waved at the secretary, who smiled and waved back, and stepped outside.

"Okay. First of all, anybody know a good mall close by?" Dagger asked, wanting to avoid getting lost, especially with Zidane.

"Yeah. There's one in Lower Town. I've been there before. It's pretty decent for a mall. I miss the Eaton's Center back at Toronto though..." Beatrix said with a fret.

"Hey, I never knew you came from Toronto." Dagger said with a slight surprise.

Beatrix nodded. "Yeah. You did too?"

Dagger nodded and giggled. "I used to go to the Scarborough Town Centre all the time."

The group discussed about where they came from as they walked to the mall. It was rather funny because they all came from Toronto, although they came from different parts. Dagger and Karen lived in Scarborough, Beatrix lived in North York while Blank and Zidane lived in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). But now, they just call it Toronto since the government decided to make a Megacity. Marcus and Belle lived in Markham though, near Pacific Mall. Soon, after a few interesting conversations, the group reached the mall's entrance. Blank opened the door for everyone and stepped in after. They walked around a corner and found a large food court with a variety of food. Chinese, Japanese, Italian, fast food... you name it.

"I'm having some sushi. Anyone care to join?" Beatrix asked. The group shook their heads and she shrugged to herself, skipping off to one of the stalls.

"I'll just stick to a burger and some fries." Karen said, walking off towards a McDonald's stall. Blank ran after her, craving fast food as well.

Dagger walked off towards a Pizza Hut booth, leaving Zidane to his decision.

'Hmm... Chinese sounds good... I'd eat anything at this point...' Zidane thought to himself, staggering over to the Chinese girl standing behind the counter.

Since it was Tuesday, most people were at work so there weren't much of a lineup for the food and the group all paid for their food and met up again at a table.

"I was thinking of going to the jewelry store. I want to send my mom a little something before I forget." Dagger said, nibbling on her pizza.

"Alright. But what are us guys gonna do? Carry your shopping bags?" Blank retorted in a joking matter.

"That would be great!" Karen stated keenly, smiling at Blank.

"I was being sarcastic." Blank replied with a slight roll of his eyes.

Karen smiled at him, "I know. But it's still a great idea."

Blank scoffed and bit into his hamburger. Meanwhile, Beatrix brushed off her hands, finished with her sushi.

"I know that they have an arcade here. Why don't you and Zidane hang out there while we shop? When we're done, we'll come over." Beatrix said as she picked up her tray and stood up. She carried it over to the garbage disposal and shook off the napkins and wrapping off, placing the tray on the hard surface of the counter above and sat back down at the table.

"Sure. Sounds interesting enough. At least we won't have to shop." Zidane replied with a gleeful smile.

After around fifteen minutes, everyone was finished with their meal.

"Alright, we'll meet you guys in the arcade when we're finished, alright?" Karen asked, looking at Zidane and smiling sweetly.

Zidane looked at her weirdly while Blank replied, "Sure. Just make sure you guys don't take too long. I still wanna get some rehearsing done."

Beatrix nodded and the three girls strolled off happily while Blank and Zidane entered the arcade.

~*~

"So where's the jewelry store?" Dagger asked, expecting Beatrix to know the answer. She always does anyway.

"It should be right around the corner. The prices aren't too bad either..." Beatrix answered, pointing over to the right corner.

The girls turned to the right and found a cute little shop with redwood frames around the windows, a few rows of jewelry in glass-windowed showcases and the words "Radiance D'or" (Gold Radiance) in a shiny gold plated sign on a wall. The girls spread out through the store, looking at the beautiful jewelry.

"Ooh... this one looks so nice..." Dagger said, pointing to a necklace with a thin gold chain and what seems like a golden phoenix as its pendant.

"Oh!! I wanna get this with Zidane's named engraved in it!!" Karen squealed, pointing to a necklace with a silver chain and a silver heart pendant with rubies tracing the heart.

Beatrix and Dagger laughed merrily at her as Karen asked the lady behind the counter to take it out for her to see.

~*~

"Here, Zidane! This is the game I've been wanting to play for a long time!" Blank said, gesturing for Zidane to come over.

"How do you play? What's the game anyway?" Zidane asked, confused.

"It's an FF8 Virtual Reality Game. You get to choose an FF8 character you wanna be and then we go on an RPG adventure and we get to beat up monsters and gain levels and everything!!" Blank said excitedly, standing on one of the four platforms, putting on a strange pair of goggles with a wire attached to the side. "I'm being Squall! Called it!"

Zidane sneered at him. "Oh yeah. When was the last time I did that? Grade two?" he mocked, stepping on one of the platforms and also putting on a pair of goggles. "I'll be Zell."

--**After an hour or so...**--

"Yeah!! Take that!!" Blank shouted out as he sliced the air with an invisible gunblade.

"Watch out, Blank! Behind you!!" Zidane yelled as he "punched" a "monster" away from Blank.

"Thanks." Blank said gratefully. His HP wasn't very high at the moment and they didn't exactly have any gil at the moment to buy any potions.

"Hey, there's a T-Rexaur right there. You wanna beat it up?" Zidane asked, pointing to the virtual dinosaur.

"Sure!" Blank replied, "running" towards the monster.

"Shiva!! Diamond Dust!" Zidane yelled out as a blue Goddess burst out from the ground, incased in ice. The Goddess bursted from the ice, shattering it and forming a blue magic in her two hands. Soon, she shot the beam of ice at the T-Rexaur, causing it to roar with pain. After all, ice is T-Rexaur's weakness.

"Whoa!! You almost did 9000 HP damage with that GF!!" Blank exclaimed as he slashed the monster with gunblade.

"I know. Aren't I great?" Zidane said with glee as he punched the dinosaur. 

"Ughhh!" a voice faintly uttered.

"Owww!! That hurts!! What the hell did I punch?" he whined as he rubbed his knuckles.

"But it's impossible for you to actually feel that you hit the monster, Zidane. It's virtual reality!" Blank said, surprised by Zidane's sudden reaction.

"I think you two better take off the goggles." a familiar voice said solemnly.

Blank and Zidane did as they were told and the sight that greeted them wasn't very pleasant. It was rather disturbing as a matter of fact. There was Dagger, lying on the floor, knocked out cold. Everyone glared at Zidane. He looked at them nervously.

"W-What?" he stuttered, staring at the lifeless Dagger.

"You punched her unconscious, Zidane." Blank stated, pointing out the obvious.

Zidane nodded. Blank looked at him weirdly. Normally Zidane would snap back at him for saying something stupid like that but for some odd reason, he didn't seem to want to retaliate. Instead, Zidane cursed and muttered obscenities under his breath. He crouched down and took Dagger's arms and wrapped them around his neck. He carried her up into a piggy-back.

"We better head back." Zidane said sternly.

"You're gonna carry her back like that all the way to the dorms?" Karen asked worriedly.

"Well she isn't gonna walk back home in this state." Zidane said with a sigh. "Let's go."

The group looked at each other weirdly as Zidane carried Dagger on his back, exiting the arcade.

--**Back At the Dorms...**--

"You're gonna what?!" Blank blurted out, shocked.

"I'm gonna stay here for the night and take care of Dagger. I punched her unconscious and it's my responsibility to take care of her and nurse her back to health. Besides, it's goes against my nature to just leave someone who's hurt, especially if it's my fault." Zidane explained solemnly.

"Alright, dude. See ya tomorrow mornin'." Blank said as he waved goodbye and left the girls' dorm.

Zidane waved and then closed the door, locking it. He walked over to Dagger's bedroom, where he left Dagger on her bed. He walked over to her bathroom, grabbing a towel and soaking it with cold water. He squeezed off the excess water and turned off the tap. He walked out and then sat down on a chair beside the bed. He began taking her hands and wiping them with the towel. If she was gonna be unconscious, she might as well be clean. After wiping her hands, he used the towel to wipe her face. He brushed her hair away from her face and gently rubbed the towel against her face. Then he walked back to the bathroom, washing the towel and placing it neatly back on the rack.

'Just my luck. How'd I ever get myself into this mess?' he thought sleepily to himself as he sat back down on the chair.

It was 11:00 at night. It took almost three hours to get Dagger back home from the town to the dorms. He was dead tired. Funny thing is that, he'd never thought he'd even be doing this. Just something about her...

He turned on the night lamp and turned off the main lights. He sat back down on the chair, his head leaning on the bed with his arms, soon drifting off to a blissful sleep...

-----------------------------

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. High school is such a pain. -_- I thought grade 9 would be easier than this but I guess it's because of the enrichment program...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^.^

Finished: September 13, 2002 (Friday) **Friday the 13th. Is anybody superstitious here?**


	5. Chapter 4

Will You Be My Canary?  
By Aquarius Mistress

A/N: My goodness, you guys are awesome! ^.^ Arigatou for the great reviews! *bows* Sorry for taking so damned long. Sprained my finger. o.O High school's hard... I'm suffering from Writer's Block at the moment. Please forgive me if you find this chapter too short.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FF characters mentioned in this fic. Original characters such as Karen, Belle, etc. belong to me. I do not own Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella either. I'm not making any money out of this so don't sue me.

Chapter 4

_No... what's happening? Mom... dad... Eiko... don't leave me here! Where are you going? Why are you leaving me? Mom, answer me! What's going on? What's this? A business card?! What the...?_

_Don Bartlett, Instructor of Marshall Academy. 'Where Hollywood stars are born?' What the hell is going on?! Is this why you're leaving me? No, if it means that I'll lose you guys, I won't go. No, please don't leave me!! Harumi, don't you go too! Please! I would give up acting for you guys! I'm begging you... please..._

_Karen? Not you too?! Beatrix, Belle. You guys too?! Please listen to me! I don't want to lose you guys!_

_Dagger fell to her knees, sobbing quietly. Pain wretched in her heart._

_Why won't they listen? Marcus, Blank... please. Can't you guys at least listen? Zidane... Zidane... for once, just listen to me. Why are all of you guys leaving me? Was it something I've done? Was it something I've said?_

Dagger broke out into a cold sweat, her eyes wincing with pain as small beads of tears rolled down the side of her eyes. Her left hand clenched onto the sheets and blanket, tight, while the other unintentionally grasped onto Zidane's hand, awakening the sleepy boy. Zidane groaned, tired and feeling rather uncomfortable sleeping in the chair he was sitting in. He vision was blurry, unable to make out where he was. Oh yeah. He was in Dagger's room.

"What the...?" Zidane muttered to himself, his memory of what happened still foggy.

_"Mom? Is that you? Oh please, mom. Don't leave me here..." Dagger sobbed in front of a figure that looked exactly like Jane, her knees on the ground._

_The figure remained silent, looking at Dagger with not only cold eyes but with an aura that felt like guilt. Guilt... and shame. She was ashamed of what Dagger has become. She was ashamed at herself for raising her daughter only to have her efforts in vain. Jane looked at Dagger with a very painful look and tears started forming in her eyes, but somehow managed to keep a straight face. She took a magazine out of her purse and threw it in front of Dagger._

_"Read for yourself..." Jane whispered hoarsely, unable to call this human her daughter._

_Dagger did as she was told. She took the magazine into her quivering hands, and opened the magazine to find a huge headline, reading out "Natori Does It All!!". Dagger gasped and immediately dropped the magazine. Hundreds of emotions ran through her heart like arrows, piercing her heart. She was unable to recognize what she felt. She didn't do this! She would never do something like this!! No... It's just one of those magazines that made up everything and lie, just to make money. Was this the reason why everyone was betraying her? Abandoning her? She never did and never would do something like this... They should know that. Jane, however, seemed quite convinced..._

_"No... Mom! I didn't do this! You know I wouldn't!" Dagger pleaded, sobbing quietly._

_Jane's eyes began to well up, wincing with pain, as if Dagger was lying. Jane closed her eyes and raised her hand, whipping it across her daughter's face._

Dagger let out a painful cry. Zidane quickly glanced at Dagger, worried about her. Wait a minute... worried? Since when did Zidane let a rude, selfish, little bitch like her make him feel so uneasy? So... bothered? Especially about her? Not only was he worried about her... he was panicking! Dagger let out another cry, more severe than the first. Zidane gripped her hand tightly, feeling useless. He quickly stepped into her bathroom and grabbed a small face towel, soaking it with ice-cold water. He squeezed the excess water out and then ran to Dagger's side, attempting to ease her pain by wiping the cold sweat off her forehead. 

Amazingly enough, it seemed to work. Dagger was no longer squinting her eyes in pain or giving out cries of agony. Zidane gave a great sigh of relief. Her breathing seemed to ease and she seemed more relaxed. Zidane folded up the towel and placed it on her forehead. 

It was 3:00 in the morning and Zidane was dead tired. He sat back down on his chair and leaned against the side of the bed, immediately falling asleep. A few loose water droplets trickled onto Dagger's eyes, disturbing her sleep. She gave a quiet groan and she opened her eyes a bit, only to have shut them again. She slowly wiped the water from her eyes and opened them again. Her vision was a blur. She could remember every detail from her nightmare. Her body relaxed as she realized it was only a dream. 

She reached for her Hello Kitty Angel but felt a warm presence. She looked around and she couldn't see anything, for it was too dark to see. She turned on her night lamp and saw Zidane by her side, sleeping peacefully. He must've stayed with her while she was unconscious. She secretly smiled to herself. No boy has really done something like this for her before. Sure, Jimmy McGrail was a very sweet friend back in high school... but that doesn't mean he would do something like this for her. She looked at Zidane delicately. Who knew an asshole like Zidane could be such a gentleman? He looked cute while he was sleeping too...

Dagger sat there, watching Zidane sleep for a few minutes and then turned off the light, slipped on the covers and went back to sleep herself...

~*~

"Zidane. Dagger. Wake up! It's 7:30!" a familiar, masculine voice rang out.

"H-huh? Wha...?" Dagger murmured as she rubbed her eyes to adjust to the light in her room. Well... not _a lot_ of light anyway. It was raining outside. Pouring down quite heavily if I do say so myself.

"You guys better wake up. Especially you, Zidane. Our vocal classes start at 8:15 until class starts. Here. I brought some of your clothes. Hurry up an' get ready!" Blank urged him.

"Alright, alright. I'm up, I'm up." a rather grouchy Zidane muttered, scratching his head in a tired manner. Sleeping on an office chair and being woken up in the middle of the night didn't exactly satisfy his need of rest.

Dagger looked around, unsure of what happened. Just then, Karen came in, wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt with white trimming and a black skirt that went down to her ankles.

"Breakfast is ready!" she chimed, smiling her usual cheerful smile.

Zidane nodded to her and then stepped out, heading for the washroom down the hall of the girls' dormitory. Blank also stepped out to get breakfast, leaving Karen and Dagger in the room. Dagger placed her right hand on her forehead.

"My head hurts..." she groaned.

"Of course it hurts, silly. You were knocked unconscious yesterday." Karen replied with a giggle.

"I _know_ that..." Dagger said dejectedly, pulling off her covers and slipping on her slippers, "I'm gonna go freshen up."

"You go do that. Better hurry though..." Karen said as she walked out of Dagger's room.

~*~

Dagger walked out of the bathroom, wearing a white blouse with a black t-shirt underneath and black jeans. Her hair was simply clipped in the middle by a pink barrette. She carefully took a silver necklace out of the grey, velvet box and clasped it around her neck, followed by the pink butterfly earrings she had before.

As she walked out, Zidane also passed by, wearing a dark blue sweater that says "Old Navy" across the chest, along with regular blue jeans. They looked at each other weirdly, not noticing that everyone was at the table, eating their breakfast. Karen looked at them and then came up.

"Hey, if you two don't stop staring at each other, the food's gonna get cold." Karen said with a slight giggle.

The two felt their faces flush and then walked over to the table, the two sitting at opposite ends. As Dagger bit into her toast, questions scrambled across her mind. Why did Zidane help her? What were his intentions? Or was he just trying to be a gentleman for a change?

"Zidane, Karen, hurry up! We have only 10 minutes to get there!" Blank urged him.

Zidane quickly gobbled up the bacon left on his plate, while Dagger kept asking herself the same questions over and over again. That's it. She wants to know. How is she gonna find out? She'll ask.

"Zidane... Why did you--"

"See ya!"

"Huh?"

The white door closed and Beatrix got up from her seat to lock the door. She missed her chance to ask. Oh well. She'll ask later. She was in no hurry... At least... that's what she thought.

"Hey, what's wrong, Dag?"

Dagger awoke from her thoughts. "What?"

"You seem kinda down. Something wrong?" Beatrix asked, a look of concern etched on her face.

"No, of course not." Dagger said cheerfully, taking another bite of her toast.

An uncomfortable silence drifted across the kitchen as Dagger, Beatrix, Belle and Marcus ate.

"... I think you're hiding something..." Belle said suddenly, sipping her soup.

Dagger looked up, confused. "What do you mean? Why would I lie to you guys?"

"I may not know you as well as some people do, Dag, but I know that look. What's wrong, girl?" Belle asked out of concern.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Dagger replied.

Belle gave out a sigh and merely shrugged in return. The tense silence returned. Marcus, having not said anything, finished his meal and placed the dish in the sink, walking silently to the living room. Belle looked at him and then also got up and left the table. Beatrix sighed and Dagger sighed in response.

"... Does everyone know something I don't?" Dagger asked, fed up with the silent treatment.

No one responded.

~*~

"Do re mi fa so... *crack* la ti dooOooO~!" Karen sang. Everyone was warming up their voices by practicing scales. Karen was worse than everyone had thought, although nobody said anything.]

"... I really don't think she'll make a Cinderella, do you?" Blank whispered to Zidane.

"She needs some work on her projection. She's singing from her nose, not from her stomach."

The two boys turned around and saw a young-looking woman with long, flowing, blonde hair, green hairclips on each side of her head, wearing a grass green sleeveless top with a white collar and white jeans.

"And you are...?" Zidane asked.

"I'm one of your instructors, Mrs. Chere. You can call me Celes." she responded with a smile. "Who is that young lady there?"

"Oh, that's Karen, one of our friends." Blank responded.

"Hmm... I suppose you were the ones who recommended her to sign up for vocal classes?" Celes asked with a sly smile.

"Well, yeah. Just listen to her!" Zidane said jokingly, being elbowed by Blank and receiving a "Hey! I heard that!" from Karen.

Celes giggled a bit and then glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "That Edgar... he's always late..."

~*~

Everyone finished their breakfast and helped clear the table and wash dishes. Soon, they all met up in the living room.

"Hey, you guys wanna practice a bit before we go to class?" Dagger suggested.

"Sure, why not. But who's gonna be who?" Beatrix asked.

"Well, with no doubt, we'll all have to share Marcus since he's the prince." Dagger teased, amused at Belle's reaction.

"Hey, Marcus is _my_ prince. Find your own!" Belle said with a giggle as she grabbed Marcus' arm.

"Why not? I'm the only guy here." Marcus added, receiving a glare from Belle.

Dagger and Beatrix laughed in return, forgetting all about the conflict before.

"A-Actually, it's time to leave. It'll take us a while to get to our classes and if we don't leave now, we'll be late." Belle used as an excuse to change the subject.

Beatrix looked at her watch. "You're right. We'd better leave now."

~*~

"That was no class! The guy didn't even show up!" Blank complained as he walked with Zidane and Karen.

"I know! For all I know, he probably slept in or somethin'... Now we'll have to go tomorrow morning to make up for the missed lesson because of him." Zidane stated, kicking a can that someone dropped on the floor.

"Anyway, I'll see you two later. My classroom is this way." Blank said as he pointed down a hall.

"Alright. See ya." Zidane replied, turning back around and continued walking.

Karen fiddled with her keychain, making little jingle sounds with her keys.

"What's the matter? You seem quiet." Zidane asked.

"Awwww... I won't make the place for Cinderella..." she said sadly, stuffing her keychain back in her purse.

"What are you talking about?" Zidane asked, confused.

"I was playing with the little 8-ball on my keychain. It tells fortunes and it said that I won't be Cinderella." she replied with a depressed tone.

"It's just a toy. Just try your best." Zidane said, trying to Karen out of her depressed state.

"I guess so..."

~*~

"We'll be meeting 1B and Aeris in the Auditorium 2 for the auditions." Cloud explained to the class, only half of them listening attentively.

"Why are we pairing up with 1B? Why couldn't we pair up with 1E?" asked a boy with braids in his hair, dark-skinned, wearing a Fubu top and baggy, dark indigo jeans.

"Because, Keith, Aeris thought it would be a good idea if we combine classes since the auditions would be easier that way. Besides, that'll even out the number of boys and girls for each audition since you'll be pairing up with another person of the opposite sex from another class."

Keith replied with an "Oh..." and meanwhile, the class stood up and exited the door, heading towards the auditorium. 1B did the same, and the two classes met up in the dark auditorium, near the stage.

"Awww... that means I won't be able to audition with Marcus as the prince." Belle whimpered.

"Oh well... it's only an audition. You never know. You might end up as Cinderella and Marcus will be prince." Dagger said happily.

"I hope so..."

"Welcome 1B. My name is Cloud and this is my class, 1D. All of you will be working together during the auditions. Now, please pair up with someone from the other class of the opposite sex, please."

The two classes scrambled, asking each other to be partners. Karen went to ask Blank, Marcus asked a girl named Emily, Keith asked Beatrix and Belle asked Zidane. A guy named Zack asked Dagger but then a girl named Jackie grabbed him away. Soon, everyone was paired up except Dagger.

"Hmm... seems like we had a miscount..." Cloud inspected.

"No... Jimmy was sick today so he didn't come." Aeris said.

"Oh, alright then. Who can fit an extra member into their group? The male will have to audition twice." Cloud stated.

"We will."

Dagger looked at the person strangely.

"Alright. You'll be auditioning with Zidane Tribal."

------------------------------------

A/N: I am SO sorry!! This Writer's Block is horrible. I can't think. This must've been a really crappy chapter. Sorry... I'll try to update faster and make the chapter longer next time. :S

Finished: November 8, 2002


	6. An Author's Note

**AN AUTHOR'S NOTE  
**

Hey, you guys! Thanks for reading this story! ^.^ I'm very happy that this story is such a success. :) I just have some news I would like to announce. You see, in my English class, I'm studying Shakespeare and we're reading the play, Twelfth Night.

I was wondering if you guys would mind if I changed the story so the classes would perform Twelfth Night instead of Cinderella. It would make it a lot easier for me and I would probably be able to update faster. But of course, if you'd prefer to stick to  Cinderella, that's fine too. Please tell me what you guys think.

And remember... majority rules. :P Those who don't care won't be counted as a vote for either play. But I need at least one vote. o.O Please, suggest what you guys think and then I'll try to update around the 20th or so.

~Aquarius Mistress (Tuesday, December 10, 2002)


	7. Chapter 5

Will You Be My Canary?  
By Aquarius Mistress

A/N: Hey, you guys! Thanks for responding to my note and for the great support. ^.^ Almost everyone voted for Twelfth Night, so Twelfth Night it is! :) It was a real pain anyway, watching the video over and over again all the time to get the dialogue right. o.O I'm very sorry for not updating in such a long time. That stupid Writer's Block never really went away and I've been busy with a few other things like school and my site (I was in a really artistic mood for the past few months. Couldn't think of a thing to write). Anyway, without further adieu, here's chapter 5! Hope ya like! =^_^= Oh, and if you're wondering, Disney still hasn't replied. o.O

To ZTLD: Hey Jason, I'm very sorry, I couldn't find the file that you sent me with the beginning of chapter 5. However, it DID relieve me of Writer's Block quite a bit. :) Thanks a bunch!!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Final Fantasy series or the Cinderella musical. Final Fantasy belongs to Squaresoft and the Cinderella musical belongs to Rogers and Hammerstein. The play, Twelfth Night also does not belong to me. It is written by William Shakespeare. Yeah. That dude. The only thing that belongs to me are my original characters, Belle, Karen, Keith, Jimmy, etc.

Chapter 5

"Sure, why not! We don't mind!" Belle said with a cheerful smile.

Dagger looked at the two in surprise... especially at Zidane. As if that wasn't a shock, he smiled in response to her glance. Dagger felt something inside her shiver. She felt warm. It was a nice feeling...

Wait... What are his intentions? Why is he being so nice? Was he simply trying to be a gentleman again? No... There must be a catch. He was probably gonna make her mess-up during the audition or something...

After a moment of tense silence, Belle pulled Dagger over to the group. Aeris smiled at everyone.

"Alright. Please sit down in the seats closer to the stairs. Who would like to volunteer first?" she asked.

"We will!" A guy yelled out, raising his arm with another girl's hand in his.

"Alright then Mark. And what's your name?" Aeris asked sweetly.

"Umm... Cathy, miss..."

"Cathy Peterson?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Go anytime you're ready." Aeris said, sitting down beside Cloud.

The two went on the stage, spotlight glaring into their eyes. After a few moments, Cathy and Mark nodded, telling Aeris that they're ready. Aeris nodded and looked at the script.

Cathy took a deep breath. After a few seconds, she started singing in a sweet tone. Afterwards, Aeris read the parts for the stepsisters and stepmother. Then Mark stepped in and started singing. He had a rich, low tone. The two sang majestically on stage, prancing around and following their script. They were doing really, really good... until Cathy forgot one of her lines.

"Go... umm..." Cathy struggled.

"Go away..." Aeris hinted.

"Go away and never come back..." Cathy and Mark said at the same time.

As in the script, Cathy and Mark looked at each other with amazement. Just then, the stepmother interrupted.

"I thought I told you never to talk to strangers!" Aeris said with a very stern voice.

Cathy then ran over to another spot on the stage, pretending that that's where the stepmother and stepsisters are.

"I'm sorry, stepmother..." Cathy said with guilt in her tone.

Just then, Mark was smiling at her. "I hope I see you again soon... Cinderella..." he said softly.

Cathy looked at him, appearing dazed... as if she was hypnotized by his eyes.

After another demanding and angry statement from the stepmother, and another singing scene, Cathy and Mark left the stage in opposite directions, ending their audition. Everyone applauded loudly. Cathy and Mark were amazing and made it seem so real. It was as if those two were already in love with each other...

"Great job, you two!" Aeris praised with a bright smile.

Cathy and Mark smiled in the return, sitting back down in the audience area.

"Okay, who would like to go next?" Cloud asked, looking at the audience for a volunteer.

"We will!" Karen said cheerfully.

"B-But...!" Blank stuttered. How did he get stuck with the hyper one?

"Karen Pietroth... and Blank Glace, I presume?" Aeris asked, writing down the names of the partners on a sheet of paper.

"Yes!" Karen replied with enthusiasm. She grabbed Blank by the wrist and literally dragged Blank up the stairs to the stage. But a sudden cracking noise from the P.A. system caused the boy to trip and fall on the stairs. Karen giggled slightly while Blank rubbed the back of his head.

"Owww..." he said with a stiff groan.

Meanwhile, everyone's attention is caught by the P.A. system.

//Attention all first year students and teachers. We have no reply from Disney, therefore, we shall have the first year students perform something by William Shakespeare. We are suggesting the play, Twelfth Night. We are sorry about the sudden change in plans. If there are any questions, please buzz the office.\\

The two classes groaned and a few people banged their fists on the arm rest in rage. Cloud let out a sigh as if everything was ruined... well... everything was. Aeris shook her head. All that hard work for nothing.

"Crap!! We freakin' studied and worked hard for this friggin' audition!!" Zack blurted out angrily, his hands shaking with fury.

The rest of the students murmured agreements and nodded. Aeris and Cloud shook their heads.

"There's nothing we can do. We can't go on with Cinderella if Disney doesn't give us permission." Aeris said delicately.

"So, now we'll be performing Twelfth Night. I think it would be a good play. It's challenging actually because of the old English. Aeris and I will hand out books to you when we return to class. Then you'll be giving out another audition but you'll be going up, one by one and recite the part you were given with gestures and emotions. The gentlemen will be reciting Duke Orsino's first part in Act 1, Scene 1. Ladies will be reciting Viola's part in Act 1, Scene 2 from lines 51 to 65. Auditions will be tomorrow afternoon since this will be a bit easier. I suggest you go back to your dorms and practice for the rest of the day. You'll get off early today, just for this short notice." Cloud told everyone and everyone reluctantly agreed.

In a way, Dagger felt disappointed. Not only because the play was cancelled and they have to learn a new one... but there was something else...

She wanted to audition the part. She wanted to show her talent and drama skills and show everyone she didn't make it to Lord Avon's by luck. Not only that... but... she wanted to be with Zidane.

Dagger shook her head, scolding herself for feeling this way. 'What's going on? What's wrong with me? Am I losing it or what? Me liking Zidane? Get a reality check, Dagger! You're probably just tired...' she thought to herself as she followed Belle, Marcus and Blank back to their classroom.

Everyone sat back down in a circle of chairs as Aeris searched through the large bookcase for copies of Twelfth Night.

"You'll like this play, I promise." Aeris said optimistically, giving a big smile to the class as she handed out the books, "All of you will be off for today. But I would recommend you to read over your parts and memorize your lines. Practice it carefully. It may seem like a simple dialogue but one little gesture can make a difference whether you make it for a good part or not."

The class mumbled 'okay's and left the classroom sluggishly. Dagger, Belle, Marcus and Blank all trudged over to Central Park 2, waiting for Beatrix, Karen and Zidane to be dismissed.

"There is fair behavior in thee, Captain;" Dagger began, reading out her part from the script. Belle, Marcus and Blank listened to her attentively, having nothing else better to do.

"And though that nature with a beauteous wall  
Doth oft close in pollution, yet of thee  
I will believe thou hast a mind that suits  
With this thy fair and outward character.  
I prithee (and I'll pay thee bounteously)  
Conceal me what I am, and be my aid  
For such disguise as haply shall become  
The form of my intent. I'll serve this duke.  
Thou shalt present me as an eunuch to him;  
It may be worth thy pains. For I can sing,  
And speak to him in many sorts of music  
That will allow me very worth his service  
What else may hap, to time I will commit;  
Only shape thou thy silence to my wit."  
  
Dagger closed the book afterwards. "This isn't gonna be as easy as I thought."  
  
"What's the matter? You've never learned Shakespeare in high school?" Blank asked.  
  
"No, it's not that. I just don't know how to express myself in these sorta dialogues." Dagger said sheepishly.

Belle laughed merrily, "I don't either. Shakespeare is hard. I've never really liked Twelfth Night that much..."

"I think Twelfth Night was very interesting! It was funny!" Dagger protested.

"Well, yeah, it's funny. But it's nowhere as good as Othello or Romeo and Juliet." Belle said with a giggle.

Dagger stuck her tongue out at her and then giggled as well. Meanwhile, Karen, Beatrix and Zidane came along and the group left for their dormitory.

"I can't believe they switched plays right during the audition. You'd think the school would have everything more organized than this." Zidane stated.

"I know. But hey, what can we do? We're only the students. Plus, we had to pay big money to go to this school so we might as well co-operate, right?" Beatrix responded, shrugging off the matter.

Everyone nodded and agreed. As the group arrived at the elevator, (and for some strange reason, Karen didn't chicken out over the glass hallway) Irvine came along from what it seems, out of nowhere.

"What's up, my fellow students," he said as he wrapped his arm around Dagger and Karen, "... and the fair ladies of course."

Dagger and Karen pushed his arm off briskly, quite annoyed with him. The rest just glared at him.

"Geez, leave us alone, Irvine." Blank brushed off.

Irvine made a face of mock surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I _interrupting_ something?" He winked at Dagger, who had an expression of disgust written all over her face.

"Get a life, you jerk." she said with a roll of her eyes.

Irvine simply scoffed and wrapped his arm around her again, which she pushed off with an angry motion. Blank pushed him off and glared at him. Irvine chuckled in Blank's face and turned to Dagger again.

"C'mon. I know you want me."

Dagger looked at him with an irritated look. "Oh, is **that** what you think?! Well, I'm sorry. You've made a mistake because I can never like someone as annoying, as disgusting, as selfish... Shall I go on?"

Irvine rolled his eyes and took a two steps closer to Dagger. "You're lying..." he said with a cool tone.

He then walked closer to Dagger and grabbed her shoulders. Dagger squeaked and kicked his shin. It seemed to have no effect however. Everyone else tried pushing him off or pulling him away but he merely shoved them all aside. Irvine's face met hers until she could feel him breathing on her. She turned her head away, still trying to pry his hands off her. But before Irvine could get any closer, a fist punched him right in the jaw. Irvine stumbled backwards, hand on his cheek and glaring furiously.

"Leave her alone, jackass! You have no right treating anyone like that!"

Dagger regained her composure, Karen, Beatrix and Belle at her side, asking if she's okay. She nodded, and then looked at the guys.

"You wanna mess with me?! I'll beat y'all up, good!!" Irvine threatened, taunting them by gesturing for them to come closer.

**++Zidane's Point Of View++**

Okay, what the hell am I doing?! 

What. 

The. 

Hell. 

Am. 

I. 

Doing?! 

This is crazy... Since when did I have the guts to stand up to anyone? Since when did I actually stood up anybody for anyone?! Especially for this crazy bitch?! Aw, hell... I'm going crazy myself.

I glared at Irvine, anger flooded my whole body. I couldn't think of anything I wanna do more right now than beat the crap outta this guy. I swear, what the hell is his problem?! He goes around acting like he friggin' owns the place! And I thought I go crazy when I see girls. This guy has issues.

Ugh! Aww, shit!! That bastard!! 

What the hell...? 

... Blood? 

My nose is bleeding?!

**++End Point of View++**

Zidane lunged at Irvine, striking him with a blow aiming for his jaw again but missed and punched his arm.

"Stop this!!" Belle screamed, separating the two boys before it got worse.

Irvine and Zidane glared at each other heatedly, not blinking for even the slightest movement. After a moment of tense silence, Irvine walked away, not saying anything, and not making any rude gestures either. He just walked away...

Everyone watched his retreating back as he turned a corner, not bothering to look back. Then doors opened. The elevator arrived right on cue. Everyone stepped in solemnly, Marcus pressing the button to go down. The ride was quiet, everyone still shocked. Zidane secretly took a peek at Dagger, who has her head down. Wait a minute... Is she blushing? Zidane felt his cheeks get a little hot too and put his head back down.

"... Thank you."

Everybody looked up at Dagger.

"... Thanks for sticking up for me, everybody... Zidane..." she quietly murmured.

Everyone gave a nod... well... all except for Karen. As the elevator door opened, Belle pulled Marcus and Beatrix to the back of the line.

"Is it just me, or do I see some chemistry going on here?" Belle whispered quietly with a slight snicker.

Beatrix nodded and sneered, "Did you see the way they were both blushing? That was so cute!"

"Should we tell them?" Belle asked.

"No, please don't. We'll never hear the end of it." Marcus replied with a chuckle.

The three laughed quietly as the group kept walking. Everyone could clearly see what's going on between Dagger and Zidane... although they're both too proud... or embarrassed... to admit it. Karen walked silently, a solemn look on her face. She knew what was going on... but she just couldn't bring herself to believe it. Hey, it's just a silly crush. She'll get over Zidane and find someone even better. 

Once group has reached the fourth floor, Karen's vision began to blur as tears started to form. She quickly wiped away the tears and began walking at a fast pace as soon as the elevator doors opened. Blank looked at Karen worriedly and ran up to her. Karen turned her face away.

"What's wrong?" Blank asked.

"Nothing. Just the sun got in my eyes, that's all..."

"But there's no windows around this hallway."

"..."

"What's wrong? You can tell me..."

Karen shook her head. Blank gave a quiet sigh and nodded, "Fine. But promise me you'll tell me soon. You've been acting so weird today..."

Karen nodded and continued walking with Blank until they've reached the boys' dormitory. This time, the group has decided to practice at the boys' apartment for a change. Blank unlocked the door and everyone stepped in, slipping off their shoes. Everyone sat around the living room to practice. Since it's an individual audition, there was no need to choose partners. Meanwhile, Karen sat on the couch, not paying attention to what's going on around her. Blank looked at Karen, who was sitting beside him. She was staring blankly at the floor.

_If music be the food of love, play on;  
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,  
The appetite may sicken, and so die.  
That strain again! It had a dying fall:  
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound,  
That breathes upon a bank of violets,  
Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more:  
'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.  
O spirit of love! How quick and fresh art thou,  
That, not withstanding thy capacity  
Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,  
Of what validity and pitch soe'er,  
But falls into abatement and low price,  
Even in a minute: so full of shapes is fancy  
That it alone is high fantastical._

Karen could've sworn, right there and then, that her heart has snapped into a thousand pieces. Tears started to form again but this time, she didn't wipe them away. Instead, she merely stood up. Everyone looked at her, confused and slightly worried.

"What's wrong, Karen?" Belle asked.

Karen shook her head and stepped out of the living room. As she passed by Zidane, she whispered something to him... and then slipped her shoes on and ran out quickly. Zidane had a puzzled expression on his face.

"What did she say?" Marcus asked, not quite understanding what just happened.

"She said... I can do it. I don't have to be scared." Zidane said, quite confused.

The three girls looked at each other worriedly. They were starting to understand what was wrong with Karen. Her heart has given up. Not only that... but she was heartbroken.

"... I-I think I should go look for her..." Dagger said as she got up.

"There's no point going to look for her now," Blank said as he pulled her back down to the carpet, "She could be anywhere right now and you don't even know your way around Quebec City. Don't worry, she just needs some time to think..."

Dagger sighed and reluctantly agreed.

The group began rehearsing again. In fact, they were at it for the whole day... until 6 pm.

And Karen still haven't returned.

"Guys, I'm getting really worried. Karen still haven't been back and it's been 7 hours." Dagger stated, griping a cushion.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Marcus replied, wiping his eyes from the sleepiness.

Just then, the telephone rings. The boys argue with each other, muttering sleepily, "You get go get it. I got it last time."

"Zidane, just go." Beatrix concluded.

Zidane murmured a 'fine' and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Bonjour. We are calling from St. Anne's hospital. Can we speak to Karen Pietroth's roommates please?" a male voice with a heavy accent said.

"Hey, the phone's for you girls."

Dagger reluctantly came and picked up the phone from Zidane's hands since the other two were practically asleep.

"Hello?"

"Salut, we are calling from St. Anne's hospital. We have some news to tell you and we need you to come over to the hospital right away. Your friend, Karen Pietroth, has been in an accident."

--------------------------------------------

A/N: Again, sorry this chapter took so amazingly long. I've been in a more artistic mood lately and felt like I needed to do more art (graphics designing) than writing. Oh well. At least this chapter's finally done. ^.^

Finished: March 5, 2003


	8. Chapter 6

Will You Be My Canary?  
By Aquarius Mistress

_A/N:_ *evil laugh* Betcha you guys thought I was dead. ^.~ I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting so incredibly long. I mean... that was **so** inconsiderate of me. =P Actually, for the past few months, I've also had other things to deal with. Aside from school, I also now have a domain and 3 other sites to manage. ^^;; So yeah, just a little warning that the next chapter is gonna take a while to roll along. *glee* Anyhoo, enough of my blabbering. I'm sure you wanna know what happened to poor ol' Karen. Let's continue, shall we? By the way, this chapter's a tad short. I spent so much creative energy lately that I'm beginning to get a total road block. Ack... never mind me. Just read on.

_Disclaimers: _I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters mentioned in this story, Squaresoft does. I do not own Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare does. And whatever characters you don't recognize probably belongs to moi. XD

Chapter 6

Dagger, still half-asleep, didn't receive the message as fast as she should've.

"W-What happened?" she asked sleepily, beginning to wake up.

"Your friend, Karen Pietroth, has been in an accident. A drunk driver came by and ran through a red light." the doctor said sadly.

Dagger's mind froze. Her hands shook. Karen? In an accident? The rest of the group looked at Dagger worriedly.

"We need three people to come down here for her emotional support. She appears to be quite distressed." the doctor spoke stiffly.

"O-Okay..." Dagger managed to mutter. Her throat was dry and she was still in shock, trying to let it all sink in. She hung up the phone and turned to the group.

"What happened?" Blank asked, looking at Dagger worriedly.

Dagger couldn't speak. She could feel herself slowly going numb. Instead... she began to sob. Belle came over and hugged Dagger, giving her a shoulder to cry on. Dagger continued to cry. How could something like this happen to Karen? It just seemed so unfair...

"Dagger... it's okay. Everything will be alright." Belle said softly.

Dagger let go of Belle and wiped her face.

"Now Dagger... what happened?" Belle asked gently.

"... K-Karen got into a car accident..." Dagger began. Fresh, hot tears began to form again. Everyone was devastated.

"What accident?! What happened?!" Blank asked frantically, griping on the armrest of the sofa tightly.

"... The doctor said that a drunk driver ran through a red light and hit Karen. She's recovering in the hospital right now. He says three people has to go visit her for emotional support since she's depressed..." Dagger murmured, slightly shivering.

"... I'm going." Blank said as he stood up and walked over to the door.

Zidane looked at Blank, who gave him a stare and slightly tilted his head towards the door. Zidane nodded.

"I'm going too."

Dagger looked at Zidane, tears still in her eyes. Zidane bit his lip. His heart clenched to see Dagger in so much pain. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her auburn eyes, not breaking any eye contact.

"You should go too. Karen will need you too..." Zidane spoke with a whisper.

Dagger looked away from his eyes and nodded. Zidane removed his hand from her shoulder and walked over to the door, where Blank was waiting. Dagger followed behind.

"We'll be back by ten. Don't bother waiting up for us." Zidane noted to everyone else. Marcus, Belle, and Beatrix all nodded.

Dagger quickly slipped on her sandals and walked out the door, Blank following closely behind. Zidane closed the door and Beatrix locked it.

"Hmm... I'm getting a bit hungry. Shall we go for an early dinner and try to get our minds off of things?" Beatrix suggested as she turned around to Marcus and Belle.

"Yeah. Where do you two wanna go? Anything's fine with me, really." Marcus shrugged off.

"Actually, I was hoping that we would stay here 'cos I wanna try and cook something for once." Belle said with a slight shift in her position.

"Sure! I'll help out, if you need any help." Beatrix offered with a smile.

Belle smiled back at her and the two girls got to work, while Marcus sat in front of the television, not having anything better to do.

~*~

The streets were dark with little spotlights everywhere from the lampposts. Why, if it weren't such an emergency, it would seem like a nice place to have a romantic stroll. Instead, Blank, Dagger, and Zidane all sat on a bench, waiting for a taxi to stop by to give them a ride to St. Anne's hospital. Since it was such an urgent situation, the last thing they wanted to happen is for them to get lost at night.

Dagger kept twiddling her thumbs, anxious to go see Karen. Zidane looked to his left to take a glimpse of Dagger. She looked so beautiful with the lamppost casting its magic over her. However, her face was full of concern, which worried Zidane the most. Without much thought, he placed his left hand over Dagger's right. She looked up at him, confusingly.

"Don't worry. Karen willl be alright." he said faintly, with a small flash of his smile.

Dagger gave a small smile back but turned away and continued waiting for the taxi. Zidane removed his hand from her, surprised himself that he would do what he just did.

"What the hell am I doing?" he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Blank secretly watched the whole scene and shook his head.

"No wonder why Karen is so depressed..." he muttered to himself as he waved at the taxi driving by.

The taxi stopped in front of the trio. Zidane opened the door and let Dagger in first, him following behind, closing the door. Blank sat in the front seat.

"À l'hôpital de St. Anne, s'il vous plaît. (To St. Anne's Hospital, please.)" Blank said urgently.

The driver nodded and began driving down a busy street, lined with huge, elegant houses and fancy restaurants. Dagger kept staring out the window, wondering how long it would take to get to the hospital. She tried her best to keep her composure, instead of weeping. And to keep her composure, she began to think about why Karen has been so depressed lately. What could've caused Karen to leave the group in the middle of practice to go on a 7-hour walk? Something was **definitely** bothering her. But what?

Blank was also very anxious to get to the hospital to see Karen. It was very clear to him, what he felt about her. That funny feeling in his stomach was unmistakable. Yes, Blank has quite a liking for that girl. He actually didn't want Zidane to come along, but he knew that was who Karen wanted to see more than anyone else. Therefore, reluctantly, forced himself to bring Zidane. He gave a great sigh and also began staring out the window, waiting impatiently to arrive at the hospital to see her.

Zidane on the other hand... knew what Karen was depressed about. It was very obvious to him that Karen had a thing for him, probably obvious to everyone else too. But he just doesn't feel the same way about her and she does about him. Instead, it feels as though his heart has already been taken by someone else, but he just couldn't figure out who. He kept staring at the ceiling of the car for the whole trip.

As they drove by the busy restaurants, it began raining lightly. The light noise of the shower gently tapped on the car. It seemed to take forever to get to the hospital. And indeed, it took a while to get there. It wasn't very surprising that it took half an hour to drive there, since Karen walked around for 7 hours, without knowing where she was going.

The car stopped in front of the hospital's main entrance. Blank paid the driver and walked swiftly into the building, Dagger and Zidane following closely behind. Blank pushed open the doors and walked over to the secretary.

"Bonjour. I'm looking for Karen Pietroth. She's here for an emergency." Blank stated, becoming quite edgy.

"Ah, oui. Madame Pietroth iz in za vest ving in room 25." the secretary confirmed.

Blank nodded and walked hastily towards the left corridor, Dagger and Zidane having to run a bit to catch up with his pace.

"22... 23... 24... 25!"

Blank curved towards the door and a yelp of Karen's name could be heard. Dagger and Zidane quickly ran inside. There was Karen, laying in bed, eyes closed, hands clasped together on her lap, her head bandaged with a small patch of blood visible. Dagger fought to hold back her tears and walked over to Karen's left side. She sat down on a stool and took her hand in hers. She was still very warm.

"Karen..." Dagger spoke with a whisper. She didn't know what to say. Nothing like this has ever happened to her before. She gripped her hand tighter, her elbows propped on the side of the bed.

"... It's me, Karen. Dagger. Say something to me, will ya?" Dagger said softly, her voice a bit hoarse. Karen remained silent, her eyes refusing to open.

"C'mon, Karen... Open your eyes... Talk to me..." Dagger pleaded. "C'mon... Zidane and Blank are here to see you too."

Karen stirred vaguely, but continued to rest. Dagger smiled to herself. Knowing that Karen was okay was all that she wanted to know. Dagger let go of her hand and stepped back, allowing Zidane to sit by her side.

"Heya Karen. It's Zidane." he said casually, not know what else to say either. "Listen... umm... I know you're kinda down right now... so when you get better, maybe you can talk to me about your problems?"

Zidane scratched his head. What the hell was he suppose to say to her? Blank rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in frustration.

"You're really bad at this stuff, aren't you?" Blank asked with a smirk.

Zidane growled. "Oh gee, how'd you figure that one out?"

"Here, lemme handle this." Blank insisted.

Zidane muttered something incoherent under his breath and got up from his seat. Blank sat down and took Karen's hand into his. He flushed as he realized that he couldn't think of very much to say either. Zidane sneered at Blank as his ears turned red.

"T-There's no point saying anything. K-Karen's asleep, w-we shouldn't disturb her." Blank managed to stumble.

"Suuuure..." Zidane snickered.

"C'mon guys, let's go. Karen'll be alright. We'll come again tomorrow or something." Dagger suggested as she began leaving for the door.

"No, wait!" Blank yelped. Dagger turned around. "I... uhh... I'm gonna stay here with Karen... just in case something happens."

Dagger shrugged. "Suit yourself." She was too tired to worry about these matters too much. All she wanted to do was to go back to her dorm, take a nice long, hot bath and go to bed. She left the room and started heading towards the main entrance.

Zidane gave Blank a wink. "Nice call, dude. You get to stay with a lady all night."

Zidane frowned. He didn't get the reaction from Blank that he thought he would get. Instead, Blank had a big smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't be talking, Zidane. I'm sure you would enjoy your little quality time with Dagger in the taxi." he sneered.

Two words.

Total.

Backfire.

Zidane's face flushed, ear to ear. He growled at Blank and almost immediately, left the room. Blank chuckled to himself and turned his attention back to Karen.

~*~

"God, what took you so long? We missed our taxi ride, you jackass." Dagger protested, crossing her arms.

"Well, well. Someone's a little bitchy." Zidane muttered with a roll of his eyes, turning away from her.

Dagger glared him. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm tired. And when I'm tired, I get edgy." She gave a loud yawn.

Zidane slowly turned back towards Dagger. He also gave a big sigh. "It's okay..."

Dagger smiled faintly and leaned against a post, looking out onto the driveway, hoping a taxi will pull in soon. "So where's Blank?"

"Oh, he decided to stay behind with Karen." he replied with a chuckle.

"Hmmm... he really likes her, doesn't he?" she giggled.

"Looks like it." he said with a smile.

Dagger nodded. She looked outside, waiting patiently for a taxi to come by. It was still raining outside. Dagger could've sworn she saw a few flashes of lightning. She slowly slid down to the floor, sitting there with her back against the wall. What's taking the taxi so long? Must be the storm... stupid storm...

Before she knew it, Dagger nodded off to sleep, her head resting on her arms, which were wrapped around her knees. And nobody could really blame her. Today has been exhausting, especially for her, Blank, and Zidane, seeing as how they had to come all the way here to see Karen.

Zidane yawned. Today wasn't all fun and games for him either. Especially since he got into that fight with Irvine. Stupid Irvine. Why'd he have to go on and act like a bastard? But it didn't really matter anymore. He got what he deserved for harassing Dagger. Hmm... come to think of it. Why _did_ Zidane protect Dagger?

After several minutes of waiting, Zidane raised his head, a bright flash of light catching his attention. The taxi has arrived. Zidane walked over to Dagger, who was still sleeping. He shook her shoulder a little.

"Hey, wake up. Taxi's here."

Dagger swapped his hand away and glared at him. Man, people just _love_ taking sleep away from her, don't they? Zidane rolled his eyes and offered his hand. Dagger grabbed it and he helped her up. The two quickly ran into the taxi before they got totally drenched. The rain was more heavy than before and thunder could be heard, softly rumbling through the night sky.

"À Lord Avon, s'il vous plaît..." Zidane murmured to the taxi driver. The driver gave a quick nod and started making a U-turn from the driveway, heading back towards the road. Dagger instantly fell asleep again. Damn pig. She does nothing but sleep, doesn't she?

As the driver made the U-turn, Dagger's body slid to the right, her head now resting on Zidane's shoulder. Zidane looked at her sleepily. Damn pig. To use someone as her pillow while she sleeps. Zidane was a bit annoyed at this, but was too tired to even care. He took a glimpse of the digital clock near the radio.

'Hmm... what the hell? It's nine already?' he thought sleepily to himself.

They wouldn't be back at the dorms until at least 9:30. Zidane shrugged and went off to sleep as well, resting his head on Dagger's. It was gonna be a loooong ride...

~*~

Karen stirred in her bed, causing Blank to wake up from his short nap. She scrunched her eyes and then opened them, only to have started wincing again. Damn bright lights.

"Karen?"

"Huh? Blank?" Karen looked at him. Yup, it was Blank alright. "What're you doing here?"

"To keep you company." he replied with a warm smile.

Karen smiled back. "Did anybody else come?"

"Uh... yeah. Zidane and Dagger came before too." Blank said reluctantly. He was hoping she wouldn't ask him that.

"Zidane came?" she said happily.

"... Yeah."

She sighed happily. Zidane came for her. She smiled. She always knew Zidane felt the same way as her. She doesn't even remember why she was so depressed. Blank looked away. Somewhere inside, he was bleeding... Then he looked up at Karen.

"So Karen..."

She turned her gaze at him.

"... Why did you leave the dorm all of a sudden?"

Karen looked at him sadly. "I don't know. I guess I needed to clear my head for a bit. Things haven't been too great lately and I just needed some time alone."

Blank nodded. The two looked at each other in an awkward hush. Then Blank broke the silence.

"I'll stay with you here overnight, if that's okay with you." he mumbled softly.

Karen smiled, "I don't mind at all." Then there was some muffled giggling. Blank looked at her weirdly.

"What's so funny?"

She quieted down and smiled at him, "Blank Glace. Are you worried about me?"

A fast, red-hot flash of heat rose to his cheeks. Karen started laughing again.

~*~

The rain danced around the car, light passing through the windows as the car drove down the street. Zidane and Dagger slept peacefully throughout the car ride, both resting on each other. After about half an hour, the taxi stopped in front of Lord Avon's dormitories. The taxi looked into the mirror and saw the two sleeping. He honked the horn, causing Zidane to wake up. He looked around sleepily, his vision still a blur. Then he noticed there was a strange warmth on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Dagger sleeping serenely. Slightly flushed, he carefully removed himself from her and shook her shoulder a bit.

"Hey, wake up. We're back." he murmured quietly.

Dagger began to shift a bit, her eyes opening. Zidane pulled her arm a bit.

"C'mon. It's almost ten and I wanna get to bed. We still have those auditions tomorrow."

Dagger almost immediately woke up. _That's right! The auditions are tomorrow!_ She paid the taxi driver and climbed out of the car. The two walked into the building in a rather uncomfortable silence. It would be awkward to say anything. Zidane opened the door and allowed Dagger in first before he followed behind. As soon as they walked in, Beatrix, Belle and Marcus called to them. They were lounging in the living room.

"We couldn't go to sleep without knowing what was going on." Marcus explained, "So how's Karen?"

"She's recovering in the hospital right now. She was still sleeping when we got there." Dagger informed.

"Well... at least she's alright." Beatrix added with a sigh of relief.

"Where's Blank gone to?" Belle asked, looking around.

"Oh, he's staying at the hospital with Karen to keep her company." Zidane said with a slight grin on his face.

"Hmm... in that case, I'm relieved." Belle replied. "Let's go back. We still need our rest for tomorrow."

Everybody nodded and headed for the elevator. The girls waved goodbye and said good night as they reached their floor. Beatrix unlocked the door and the girls said their good nights to each other, everyone wanting to just go sleep. Beatrix locked the door and returned to her room as well.

Dagger quickly took a hot shower and changed into her Tweety pajamas. Then the thought occurred to her. _If Karen and Blank is at the hospital, they can't audition tomorrow!_

------------------------------------------

_A/N:_ Merrrrrr, this is my worst chapter yet. -_-* Also the shortest (I think?). It's so hard to get good inspiration these days. =( Not exactly a cliffhanger, but that's where it ends for now. Hope you guys didn't mind this short and plotless chapter. I couldn't get anything through my head and it just took so long that people were starting to e-mail me for previews of this chapter. o_O Anyhoo, I also have some news. I've opened up a RPG blog in the middle of July and I'm desperately looking for new role-players. This RPG blog is based on Final Fantasy 8 and 9, and so far, we have Dagger, Eiko, Zidane, Kuja, Vivi and Selphie taken. That's only 6 out of the 20 characters available. o_O Soooo, if you think you might be interested, go check out the site itself. The link to it is located in my bio, where the plugs are (all the way at the bottom). Here's what I wrote for the joining part of the site, and I quote:

"Joining **Melodies Of A Lion** will require you to follow rules, have knowledge of at least FF8 or FF9 and have at least the HTML basics down. You must also be honest, reliable, and good-natured, as you'll be allowed access to this blog. If you're interested in joining, e-mail me at melodies@azure-vision.net with your name, URL (...If you have one. If not, you can still join), the name of the character you wish to play, and a short, brief description of your character."

Tsk tsk tsk, such a shameless plug. *grins* Anyway, if you're interested, please join. I'm was hoping that this chapter will bring me some new RPers instead of just reviews and hopefully, it'll work. =P

Finished: August 07, 2003


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